


Through the Gates of Hell

by LadyOxymoron



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-02-28 12:56:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 31,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13271898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyOxymoron/pseuds/LadyOxymoron
Summary: When Magnus is forcibly taken away from him, a heartbroken Alec embarks on a dangerous quest with four improbable people to get him back.





	1. Gone

**Author's Note:**

> This is not one of my usual fics. It started as a few snippets in my notebook and, at the time, I had no idea where it was going. I only knew that Alec was sad (to put it mildly).  
> Then I realized that I had been worrying about possible Edom angst on season 3. At this point I decided to exorcize my worry with my own angst. Makes sense, right? Tell that to my brain.  
> This was a very ambitious project and I cursed myself many times while I was writing it. It consumed me, I spent hours on this, sometimes writing until dawn and cursing myself louder.  
> The fic is already finished but some chapters need editing and I hope I will be able to update it twice at week.  
> I'm out of my comfort zone here so any feedback will be greatly appreciated. :)

Magnus was in bed, staring at the ceiling and listening to Alec’s breathing as he slept soundly beside him. Sleep was eluding Magnus. It had been for a few days now. Ever since Isabelle had mentioned that the demons coming out of the rift were a sub-specie of Edomai, he had been feeling a deep sense of unease in the pit of his stomach and, with each passing day without news about the whereabouts of the demons, the unease had kept growing and growing to the point of nervous foreboding.

Edom was his father’s domain and if Magnus knew him well enough, Asmodeus never did anything without careful planning. If he set his mind on something, he would do all it was in his power to have his way. Magnus wondered why his father would send a big flock of demons, only to order them lo lay low but he wasn’t deluded about Asmodeus’ intentions. The Prince of Hell had been trapped in Edom for centuries and Magnus knew that given the chance, he would try to break out and take what he thought was his rightful place in the world.

Magnus was sure that if that were to occur, he would leave nothing but death and destruction on his path.

Magnus had long been resigned to the fact that someday his father would come for him, he was the son of a Prince of Hell and he had great powers at his disposal. His immortality was bound to be enticing for someone like Asmodeus. Once he wouldn’t have been afraid to face him, but now there were people he had vowed to himself to protect at all costs, Alexander before everyone else.

He would be damned if he let his father destroy the only shot at family he’d ever had.

He turned over with a sigh and shifter closer to Alec, bringing his arm over his man’s waist. There was no use in thinking about things that were to happen and that could be avoided if he had a say in the matter. He needed all the sleep he could get, he needed to be at his top form if he hoped to have a chance to fight back, so he tried to clear his mind and he focused on Alec’s breathing. It was soothing, and soon sleep claimed him.

**

He was startled to full wakefulness by the hot mouth sucking on his collarbone, then he gasped as a hand trailed down his side in a slow caress. He blinked his eyes open with a low moan and the suction stopped as Alexander raised his head up to look at him, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Magnus had missed this, waking up with Alexander draped all over him, eyes locked on Magnus as if nothing else mattered, as if Magnus was the focus of his whole world.

He swallowed past the lump in his throat and beamed at him. “What a good morning, Alexander.”

Alec smiled. “I hoped you’d say that.”

Then he brought his mouth back on Magnus’ chest and started to trail a wet path of fire down his stomach, driving him mad with slow, deliberate brushes of his tongue. When Magnus felt the hot wetness around his cock, he threw his head back with a whispered moan and allowed himself to drown in sensation.

After a hot shower they were both seated at the table, breakfast spread out before them, chattering about trivial things before having to deal with more important matters. Their conversation was brought short by the thrill of Alec’s phone.

Alec took it out of his pocket and frowned. “It’s Izzy,” he said. “Something must have come up.” He pressed the answer button and brought the device to his ear. “Izzy, what’s wrong?”

Magnus watched as Alec listened intently, head tilted a bit to the side, face a bit scrunched up in concentration. “On our way,” was all he said before closing the call.

“What is it, darling?”

“They got a break on the location of the demons,” The words sent a chill through Magnus’ spine. “Apparently, they are holed up in some kind of cave, just outside of the city.”

Magnus felt dread pool into his stomach but schooled his face in a neutral expression. “Well then,” he said. “We’d better get going.”

**

The command center was buzzing with activity by the time they got to the Institute. Almost every Shadowhunter on duty was standing there, waiting for Alec’s orders. There was a buzz of excitement in the room, this was a huge break, the break they had been waiting for weeks.

Magnus watched as Alec walked to the center of the room, where Isabelle, Jace, and Clary were waiting for him. He took the time to admire the confidence in the Shadowhunter's posture, proud of the way his Alexander had embraced his new role as a leader, then approached the small group, hoping that the lightness of his steps hid the tension running through his body.

They exchanged greetings, then Isabelle started to explain how they had found out about the demons' hideout. “The radars registered some demon activity in the area,” She said. “It was just a brief peak in the chart, so at first we didn’t think much of it. But then,” she turned to point at the screen. “Look, the radar registered more activity here,” she pointed at a spot to the left. “there, and there.” She turned around to look at them. “Raj and Jacob went to check it out, and they saw one of those spit-fire demons diving for the cave.”

Alec patted her on the back. “Well done. It’s the first solid lead we have on the Edomai,” he said. “I’ll arrange the team.”

 _It’s too easy_ , Magnus thought. “It could be a trap.” 

“It might,” Alec conceded. “But we need to check it out.”

“Alec,” Jace placed his hand on Alec’s shoulder. “He’s got a point. We can’t go in blind.”

Magnus thought that was one of the most intelligent things he had heard coming out of the Wayland boy’s mouth. “We need a plan.”

“All right,” Alexander acknowledged with a small nod. “That’s what we’re gonna do.” He turned to look at them. “We’ll set a perimeter, place as many Shadowhunters as we can around the cave, at a distance.” He paused to steal a glance toward Magnus. “Some of us will approach and case the cave, then we’ll report back.”

“Alexander,” Magnus forced himself to keep his voice controlled. “The Shadowhunters need you here as a leader,” _I need you safe_ , was left unsaid.

Alec sighed and took Magnus’ hand in his own. “I need to go,” he said. “I’ll be careful.”

Magnus’s heart clenched painfully in his chest. He had a bad feeling about all of this and there was no way he was going to let his boyfriend go without protection. “Then I’ll come with you.”

“Magnus-“

“You forget my knowledge about Edom and its creatures,” he said hastily, before Alec could protest. “And the magic at my disposal.”

“Alec, he’s right,” Thank God for Isabelle.

“I – All right.” Alec's face was very serious. “But I need to know you won’t take any risks. I can’t focus on the mission if I have to worry about you.”

“Darling, I’m a grown warlock,” he teased. “I can take care of myself.”

Alec inclined his head in acknowledgement and turned around to bark orders to the other Shadowhunters around them.

**

The cave looked rather innocuous, just a small opening on the side of a mountain, but Magnus couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible was waiting for them inside of its walls. The night was quiet, small clusters of clouds loomed over them and Magnus shivered as a chilly breeze ran over his body. The demons were the last of his worries as they approached the entrance from the side.

They had decided for a stealth over numbers approach and they had established that the two of them would check out the cave. There had been some protests but in the end, Jace and Isabelle had agreed to wait with the others for their report.

His uneasiness grew with every step toward the cave and Magnus had to force himself to put one foot in front of the other, every hair of his body standing on end. Alec stopped abruptly and Magnus almost ran into him, then he noticed they were right outside the opening in the rock. Alec pointed one finger toward himself, signaling that he would go in first but Magnus grabbed Alec’s arm and shook his head, pointing at himself instead and mouthing a silent “ _magic_ ” as he moved past him.

The opening was dark and Magnus couldn’t see past the entrance but as soon as he stepped inside, Alexander in tow, it was like he had gone through a black curtain and stepped into bright light. The whole cave was lighted with an eerie red glow. It took him one look to realize that something was very wrong. There were no demons in sight and, for that, he was grateful but the place sent off all of his alarm bells.

The walls were dark red and they seemed alive, like they were not made out of stone but out of raw flesh. They seemed to pulsate with energy, to twist around them like a gigantic mouth ready to swallow them at any given moment. He shivered.

Magnus turned around and spoke urgently. “Alexander, we need to go b-“ He hadn’t even finished the sentence when he felt a pull under his feet. He glanced down and he noticed the thin, dark circle around himself, slowly getting smaller and smaller, closing him in. When he noticed that his feet were firmly planted in place, he tried to summon his magic but he realized with dawning horror that it wasn’t responding to him. That could mean only one thing: he wasn’t going to be able to leave.

Alec was looking around himself in wonder and he hadn’t noticed Magnus’ predicament. That was fine with Magnus. Without his magic at his disposal he had to find a way to make Alec leave without giving away anything. The thought of leaving Alec behind was like a blade through the heart, stabbing him over, and over, and over again. He had promised to Alec that he would never push him away again, that he would fight for him, for them. Now he was going to break that promise and failure tasted like bitter poison in his mouth. It wasn’t fair, he thought. They had barely found each other again. They had only had a few blessed weeks together after their _fights_. Magnus tried to convince himself that they were going to be enough.

 _To love and to lose_. It was starting to be a familiar pattern, Magnus thought bitterly.

He forced back the harsh laugh that threatened to spill out of his throat. He had to remind to himself that he had to keep Alec safe. No matter what.

Alec turned around to look at him. “Magnus, what is this place?”

He did his best to keep a straight face. “You need to leave _now_ , Alexander.”

“What?” Alec looked puzzled. “But what about the demons?”

“I’m afraid we won’t find any demon here tonight.” his hands were shaking so he hid them in his pockets.

“Do you think it was a trap? But nothing happened to us, maybe the demons are just hunting.”

 _Oh, something happened all right_ , Magnus wanted to say. He didn’t have much time left. If that circle around his feet was what he suspected it to be, he needed to get Alec out of there as soon as possible, by any means necessary. “You silly Shadowhunter,” he was proud of the way his voice didn’t waver. “The only demon you will find here is me,” He said. “Now go back to your siblings.”

“What are you talking about? What about you?”

“I mean exactly what I said.” he looked straight at Alec. “Go back. I’ll need to check this out a little longer.”

“What? No Magnus, I’m not leaving without you.” Alec looked hurt and Magnus felt a deep seated ache inside of his chest.

“In case you haven’t noticed, this is a Mouth of Edom,” it wasn’t exactly true but Alec didn’t need to know it. “I don’t think I’d pass the chance to explore my domain.”

Alec gasped. “Don’t be stupid. New York is your domain,” He said. “Come on, let’s go,” he extended one hand toward Magnus.

“Stay back!” That was of the utmost importance. “I mean it, Alec. This my heritage and I won’t let anyone prevent me to explore it, not even you.” he tried to school his face into a hard mask. “Now _go_.”

“Magnus,” Alec’s voice was rough. “Please, we can come back later. Let’s go home.”

 _Go home_. Magnus wished with all his might to do just that. “Home?” He said instead. “Edom is my home.” he forced out a bitter laugh, it was time to drive the point home. “Did you really think I would choose you over my own heritage?” His own words felt like shards of glass cutting his throat as they came out.

Alec recoiled like he had been slapped, taking a step backward. “Y- You don’t mean that,” His voice trembled, sounding small and desperate.

Magnus wanted nothing more than grab his Alexander and hug him tight, to say to him that he loved him, to tell him _how much_ he loved him. He knew he couldn’t afford it. Not then, when both of their lives were at stake. “You will find out that I rarely say things I don’t mean.” he glanced quickly down, noticing the circle was almost closing in. He hoped Alec was far enough as not to be dragged down with him. “Now, do yourself a favor and _leave_.”

The forcefulness of his own voice was enough to make Alec take a few more steps back, and that was what Magnus wanted. So why did it feel like his own heart was going to shatter in a thousand pieces?

Alec froze in place and when he looked at Magnus, his eyes were bright and filled with pain and _God_ , he had been the cause of it. It was almost enough to make Magnus’ façade crumble and he couldn’t help himself from looking back at his Alexander as he felt the prickle of tears in his own eyes.

Alec seemed to read something in his gaze, because his own eyes widened and took a tentative step forward. Magnus was glad that, by then, he could already feel the hard pull under his feet signaling that the circle was already on him, otherwise he would have lost all of his bravery. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but then he thought better and snapped it shut. It wouldn’t do to make this harder on Alec.

The last thing he heard as the floor opened up underneath his feet and he started to fall, was Alexander’s voice shouting his name. Then everything went black.


	2. Loss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec faces the realization that Magnus is gone. Enters Catarina Loss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've edited half of the story and I merged some chapters together, they flow better that way. I'll try to work on editing the other half of the story as quickly as I can, so maybe I'll be able to update a little faster.

Alec’s mind was reeling. He was sure he hadn’t felt so crushed ever since their breakup. Magnus’ cruel words had felt like a punch in his gut and he had had to take a few steps back to get away from them, to distance himself from the pain.

When he had looked at Magnus though, there had been something in his expression. The emotions he could read in his eyes had seemed so real, such a direct contrast to the terrible words the warlock had thrown at him just a few seconds before.

Alec started to think that something was not right. This wasn’t Magnus. His Magnus would never purposefully hurt him, Alec was sure of it. Maybe the cave was affecting him in some way and Alec was determined to find out what was happening at any cost, he couldn’t even _think_ about leaving without his boyfriend.

He took a hesitant step forward and saw Magnus’ mouth open as if he wanted to speak, but then he seemed to change his mind and snapped it shut. Alec had barely the time to register the low vibrations before he realized with a jolt that the floor under Magnus’ feet was shifting. His boyfriend sent him one last glance and then Alec watched with increasing horror as he was swallowed by the gaping hole on the ground.

Alec choked on a scream, then he found his voice. “NO!” he shouted. “ _Magnus_.”

He ran as fast as he could but the floor was quickly shifting once more and by the time he reached the spot Magnus had occupied, the ground was whole again as if nothing had happened, as if it hadn’t just swallowed part of Alec’s soul.

He sank to his knees with a last, desperate cry and started to claw at the ground. It was a futile gesture, Alec registered it on some level, but he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t just leave. Not when he felt like he wasn’t going to be whole ever again. He vaguely registered the buzz of his phone inside his pocket but he ignored it and kept digging, barely noticing when one of his fingernails broke, vaguely aware of the dirt clogging his nose.

“No,” he kept whispering over and over. “No.”

Abruptly, the whole cave started to tremble and Alec felt a surge of energy coming from the walls. The air became thick and it seemed to cling on his skin like a sticky mist, like hot droplets of blood coming from the bleeding walls. He shivered as a sudden gush of wind swept over him and he had barely the time to feel the electric crackle in the air when a burst of magic hit him, throwing him forcefully backward.

Before he knew it, he was laying on his back in the damp grass just outside of the cave, panting hard, heart hammering wildly inside of his chest.

His phone buzzed again or at least he thought it was his phone, he couldn’t distinguish it from the loud buzzing in his own ears. He ignored it again and laid there, chest heaving with labored breaths, hot tears prickling painfully at his eyes and threatening to spill over.

 _No_ , he thought. _No_. He couldn’t afford to lose it, he needed to focus and find a way to get to Magnus. With that thought in mind, he forced his body up in a sitting position and wiped furiously away the tears from his eyes, then he stood and started to run toward the entrance of the cave. Toward Magnus. His run was brought short by what seemed like a powerful force-field. Alec slammed against its invisible wall and he was thrown forcibly back, landing on his ass with a grunt.

When his phone started to buzz again, he grabbed it and threw it away, hearing the crack as it smashed against a rock. He didn’t think he could deal with anything right then, not when he could almost feel the crack of his own heart almost as loudly as the sound of his breaking phone. He took a deep breath and stood again.

After that, Alec lost count of the times he tried to get past the force-field only to be tossed back again and again and again, adrenaline and desperation the only things keeping him going. Soon the adrenaline ran out and the desperation was enough to make him sag in defeat. Only when he felt like he was on the verge of collapsing, he took out his stele and sent a fire message to Izzy.

Alec had no idea how much time had passed when he heard his sister scream his name. He was still sitting on the ground, head pressed against his bent knees, numbness wrapped all over him like a blanket. He slowly raised his head up, turned around and saw his siblings and Clary running toward him, the other Shadowhunters a few feet behind.

Izzy reached him first and it took all he had not to crumble when he felt one of her small hands on his back. He was grateful when she held the other hand up, signaling the others to stay away.

She crouched down in front of him. “What happened, Alec?” She asked. “Where is Magnus?” The name hit him like a blow and he bent forward, burying his face in his hands with a quiet sob. “Alec, what’s wrong?” Izzy pried his hands away from his face and looked at him in the eye.

The worry on her face, if possible, made it worse. Alec felt like he was one step away from breaking down. “He- The cave was empty,” he said, voice shaking. “I think he knew something was going to happen. He kept saying those things, Izzy,” he knew he was rambling but he couldn’t be bothered to care about it. “It was like he was trying to push me away but I didn’t- I didn’t…” he trailed off, unable to go on.

“Brother, you are making no sense,” hhe grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him gently. “Breathe, Alec,” She said softly. “Now, start from the beginning.”

He never knew how he mustered the energy to tell her the whole story. He had to pause to catch his breath or muffle a sob every now and then but in the end, he managed to tell her everything. “He’s gone,” he whispered at last.

Izzy’s eyes where bright with tears by the end of the story. “Oh, Alec.” She threw her arms around him and he sagged into her embrace, allowing her soothing presence to give him some semblance of comfort, feeling the last of his walls fall at the contact. Izzy held him quietly for a few moments, then she stepped back gently. “Just stay here, brother,” she said. “I’ve got this.” she got to her feet. “We’ll get him back, Alec.”

 _Don’t make promises you can’t keep_ , he wanted to scream. He watched as she walked away and joined Jace, Clary, and the other Shadowhunters, who had kept their distance. He couldn’t hear what she was saying but he knew that she was briefing them about the situation and Alec was grateful for that, he didn’t think he would be able to go through the whole story again, not without breaking down for good.

Time passed in a blur after that. He sat on the grass, barely aware of the buzz of activity around him. There were orders shouted around, hushed conversations, people coming and going past him but none of them dared to come close enough. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, eyes snapping up to look into Jace’s sympathetic ones.

Jace patted him awkwardly on his back. “We can’t get past that energy field,” He said. “We called Catarina Loss. She’s on her way.”

Alec could just shrug.

After what had to be only a few minutes, a portal opened a few feet away and Catarina Loss stepped out of it. She barely spared a glance at him before striding purposefully toward the small group gathered at the entrance of the cave. After she was shortly briefed, she started to work on the invisible wall.

Alec watched her sending wave after wave of magic against it, chanting different incantations, failing and trying again. He was reminded of his own attempts to get past the force-field and he was hit by the realization that he wasn’t the only one suffering from Magnus’ absence. Catarina Loss was one of Magnus' best and oldest friends and she was bound to be devastated. The woman didn’t show any weakness though, she kept trying over and over to open a breach through the force-field until Alec saw her sway on her feet, while the magic slowly drained out of her. She kept going until Alec could see that she had no energy left, only then she sagged in defeat and turned around to talk to Izzy.

Very few words were exchanged before Catarina walked back toward the portal she had come through. She seemed to change her mind midway and tuned around, then Alec saw her approaching him.

When she stopped in front of him and glanced down, her face was set into harsh lines. “I had warned him that nothing good could come by associating with a Shadowhunter.” her voice was steady but Alec could see the pain in her eyes. “But the fool was _in love._ ” her voice wavered slightly on the last word. “This is all your fault.”

Alec couldn’t find anything to say to that. If it hadn’t been for him and his stupid mission, Magnus would be safe. “I know,” he whispered.

Catarina sniffed, then her eyes softened just a little. “There was nothing I could do.” and before Alec could thank her for trying, she turned around and left.

Catarina had been his last resort and as she vanished through the portal, Alec realized she had taken away with her the little hope he had left.

Shock was the first to manifest. Alec felt numb, bereft, as if his brain couldn’t comprehend that Magnus was gone. He kept expecting to feel a strong hand over his shoulder, to hear a huffed laugh against his ear, to turn around and see a warm smile and soft eyes looking at him. Instead he could only feel a firm grip constricting his lungs as he turned his head around and Magnus was nowhere in sight.

Magnus wasn’t there to smile at him, he wasn’t there to comfort him, to hold him tightly and tell him that everything was going to be okay. _Nothing_ was going to be okay, because Magnus was gone.

_Magnus was gone._

When he realized that Magnus was _really_ gone, the shock faded away and the pain hit. Something in his chest twisted, pulled, and broke at the thought. He drew a sharp breath and doubled over, resting his head on his knees as the first tears started to fall.

That was how Izzy found him a little later. He didn’t notice her presence, until she spoke. “Alec,” she said. “We have to go.”

Panic surged through him at the thought of leaving. “No,” he said. “No, Izzy. I- I can’t leave.”

She offered him her hand. “Come on, big brother,” her voice was gentle. “There’s nothing more we can do right now. We won’t give up, I promise.” he reluctantly grabbed her hand and she smiled.

Alec stood slowly and staggered a little but Izzy steadied him and he thanked the Angel for his little sister. He didn’t know what he would have done without her. He looked at her and the _thank you_ he was about to utter died on his lips, the look on her face enough to make him stagger again. The compassion he could see in his sister’s eyes would have been enough to crush him, if he wasn’t already broken.

When she reached out and cupped his cheek with one of her small hands, Alec felt the pain in his heart spread through his whole chest, the touch enough to shatter him. And Alec, the Alec who had learned at a young age that showing weakness in front of other people was like bleeding in shark-infested waters, the same Alec that had trained himself to repress all of his emotions, crumbled down and started to sob, uncaring of all the other people who where there to witness it.

He held on to Izzy helplessly, head buried in the crook of her neck, shoulders shaking, almost gagging from the intensity of his grief.

Izzy held him until he thought he had no more tears to cry, then she gently pulled away. “We’ll keep trying, Alec. But we need to research and plan. And you need to rest.”

As if he could, Alec thought bitterly. As he walked away from the cave, he made a promise to himself.

He would get Magnus back, no matter if he had to tear Edom open with his bare hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any kind of feedback will be cuddled and loved. :)


	3. Family Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus makes Asmodeus' acquaintance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter that warrants the torture tag. I couldn't bring myself to be very graphic because I love Magnus to pieces and it was already hard to write as it is. I consulted the Shadowhunters Wiki for Asmodeus' description but I twisted some other facts to my advantage. :)

Magnus came to with a pounding headache. His right temple was throbbing and he tried to move his hand to inspect the damage, only to swallow back a curse when he wasn’t able to do so. He tried a tentative pull and he realized his hands were immobilized, stretched wide above his head. His back was pressed against a hard and cold surface that scratched his skin with every movement and he suspected that he was chained to a wall. He slowly blinked his eyes open and tried to adjust to the dim light in the room. Except, it wasn’t a room. It was a cave, not unlike the one he had been exploring what he thought were a few hours before. The walls were a deeper shade of red and, Magnus was relieved to notice, they seemed made out of regular stone. The only light came from the torches burning just outside the entrance.

He tried another pull against the bonds and felt that they were well secured, pain shooting through his wrists as the metal dug in his flesh. He snorted. So much for a tearful family reunion.

Whoever had chained him to the wall was nowhere in sight and Magnus was grateful to be alone, to have the time to collect himself before having to face Asmodeus or one of his lackeys. He was not under any illusion that he would be treated as a guest, his current predicament being proof enough of his theory. He took a deep breath, thinking that at least Alec was safe.

A new kind of pain shoot through him at the thought of his Alexander. Leaving him, lying to him as he left him was one of the hardest thing he had to do in his very long life. Magnus was sure he could never forget the confusion and the pain in Alec's eyes, it would haunt him for as long as he lived. He was sure Alexander had seen right through him in the end, when Magnus hadn’t been able to keep his mask up any longer. He was grateful that by then, it had been too late. If Alec had been closer, he would have been sucked in right alongside himself and, while Magnus could be beneficial to Asmodeus, Alec wouldn’t have stood a chance. His father would have had him killed on the spot.

His eyes filled with tears as he thought about what Alexander would have to go through. Magnus had been his first relationship, his first love and he could remember all too well the feeling of loving someone for the first time, the pain when you lost the person you thought you would spend your life with. But his Alexander was tough and he was still young, Magnus was sure he would find someone else in the end. Someone who wouldn’t leave him, someone who wouldn’t waste their last words trying to make him go away instead of telling him how much they loved him. No matter how every cell of his body screamed in agony at the thought of another man touching his Alexander. Magnus could bear anything if it meant that Alec was safe and happy.

He was brought out of his musings when he heard footsteps approaching. The first thing he saw was a dark shadow, then he saw the horned black demon cowering just behind. As the shadow grew closer, it seemed to take a human shape until a tall man stepped out of it. The man was slender but there was something imposing about him as he walked nonchalantly toward Magnus. His hair was dark and crowned with barbed wire, the skin of his face seemed stretched taut over his bones, when he smiled his pointed teeth gleamed. What caught Magnus attention though, were his eyes. They were a mirror of his own.

“My lord, the prisoner has regained consciousness,” the black demon said.

“So it seems.” Asmodeus’ voice was cold, there was no trace of humanity of compassion in it. “Well, well,” He said. “My bastard son. At last we meet.”

Magnus tried to school his face in a neutral expression. “Father,” He said. “I would say it’s a pleasure to meet you but, under the current circumstances, I’m afraid it wouldn’t be true.”

If Asmodeus was offended by his sarcasm, he didn’t show it. “Ah.” he chuckled. “The puppy has some bite,” His voice sounded amused. “It will be a pleasure to break your will.”

Magnus swallowed back the retort stuck on his throat and forced his breath down. “May I ask to what I owe the honor of your company?”

“All in good time, son,” Asmodeus said, “You will serve your purpose. But first….” He turned toward the black demon. “Seth,” He barked and the demon scurried forward. “Entertain me.”

Magnus was under no illusion that Seth would start singing or dancing for his father. He was proved right when the demon drew a sharp knife from its thigh holster and walked toward him, black skin gleaming when the flamelight danced over it. Magnus grimaced. He had never been one for pain but as the demon approached, he made a mental vow to himself: he wouldn’t let them break him, he owed it to Alexander.

The first cut, just below his collarbone, elicited a pained yelp out of him. After that, Magnus bit his lip to keep himself from making any sound and tried to bear the pain at best that he could as every kiss of the blade sliced open a different spot on his chest. When he felt the blade slice through the tender skin on his side, he couldn’t keep the grunt of pain from slipping through his lips.

When Magnus thought he couldn’t be able to keep himself from screaming anymore, Asmodeus spoke. “Enough.”

The demon stepped back and Magnus sagged in relief, chest heaving with ragged breaths, sweat rolling down his temples, blood running down his torso and down his chin from the spot where his teeth had broken the skin.

The silence stretched uncomfortably until Asmodeus broke it again. “Now that we have set the mood,” he said. “We can talk.” he didn’t wait for Magnus’ reply. “I need your blood.”

Magnus felt a hysterical laugh bubble up in his chest but it came out as a twisted chuckle. “Haven’t you spilled enough already?” He managed to say through heavy breaths.

Asmodeus walked closer. “Let me clarify.” his voice sounded, if possible, more amused. “I need your _willingly given_ blood.”

“Ah,” Magnus panted. “Then I’m afraid we are in quite the predicament. I am rather fond of my blood.”

“You fool!” a hint of annoyance creeped in Asmodeus’ voice. “Do you think your sarcasm will bring you something other than pain?” He made eye contact with Magnus. “You will give to me what I want, eventually.”

Magnus’ first instinct was to let out another retort but he decided to play along. It couldn’t hurt to know his father’s plan, could it? “And what next? Don’t think I don’t know that once I will have served my purpose, you’ll kill me. What’s in it for me?” he paused to catch his breath. “What do you even need my blood for?”

“The thrice mixed blood of a creature walking the earth,” Asmodeus seemed to be reciting something from memory. “Once willingly given will allow me to pass through the angelic force keeping me bound here,” he said. “Imagine my surprise when my demons reported back to me that my son - a creature in whose veins runs the blood of angels, demons, and mundanes – was living just outside of the rift. Learning that you worked with the Nephilims was a big disappointment but it gave me the means to get to you. You are my only chance to get back what I have lost.”

If Asmodeus managed to break free of Edom, he would destroy everything in his revenge, he would annihilate every single Shadowhunter. Magnus’ sacrifice would have been for nothing. He took a deep breath. “You haven’t answered my first question.”

“I have no interest in your death.” Asmodeus waved his hand as he was swatting a fly. ”In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll say that I will take your immortality.”

Magnus snorted, that was a death sentence as any. He was centuries old, once stripped of his immortality he would crumble to dust. “I’m afraid I’ll have to pass.”

“Maybe some time with your thoughts will render you more cooperative,” Asmodeus said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

And with that, The Greater Demon walked away, Seth in tow, leaving Magnus alone with his thoughts.

**

_Tell me son, do you know what kind of sound a whip makes when it hits the flesh?_

_I guess I’m about to learn it._

**

_How much do you think you could go without eating?_

_Let’s find out, shall we?_

**

_Do you know in how many ways I can make you scream?_

_You are here to show me, aren’t you?_

**

_Do you know what sleep deprivation can do to the body and the mind?_

_I have heard that sleep is overrated._

**

_I have been trapped in Edom for centuries. Don’t assume I won’t be willing to wait a few more years if that’s what it’ll take._

_Good thing we’re both immortal._

**

By day number seven - or what Magnus thought it had to be day number seven, since his father had paid to him exactly six visits, one every day – Magnus wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold on. Asmodeus seemed to take great pleasure in tormenting him in many creative ways and Magnus had never been brave in the face of pain. He was honestly surprised by his resilience and he was proud of himself for standing up to his father, even if his sarcasm kept bringing him more pain and misery. Magnus had thought that pushing Alec away in the cave would be enough to keep him safe, not predicting that Alec's safety would rest upon his own shoulders, his own resilience. Thinking about Alexander had been the only thing keeping him sane, the only thing keeping him from breaking down and give Asmodeus what he wanted.

When he heard the steps that announced his father's approach, he licked his parched lips, closed his eyes, and brought forth an image of a smiling Alec in his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to thank you for the kudos and the feedback you left. It always makes my day. :)


	4. A Light in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guilt and pain. Hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with the new chapter, I hope you'll enjoy it. :)

_Alec was sprawled on the bed, Magnus on top of him looking down at him with a bright smile. “What shall I do to you, Alexander?”_

_Alec smiled back, warmth spreading in his chest at the love he could see in tMagnus' eyes. “How about you start by kissing me?”_

_Magnus’ face seemed to close off, eyes suddenly sad. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, darling.”_

_Alec frowned. “What? Why?”_

_Magnus cupped his face and smiled at him sadly. “You let me die, Alexander.”_

 

“NO!” Alec woke up with a scream, chest heaving with ragged breaths, sweat rolling off his forehead, heart hammering wildly against his ribcage.

He slowly got up in a sitting position and he brought a hand over his eyes to wipe away the moisture from the corners, pressing his hands against his eyes to prevent more tears to come out. He couldn’t allow himself the luxury to cry. He hadn’t cried ever since his breakdown in Izzy’s arms and he felt like he didn’t have the right to cry. Magnus was gone and it was his fault. He didn’t deserve to let the tears wash away some of his pain.

When he managed to regain control of his breath, he threw his legs over the side of the bed and stared at the wall. The white of the wall was tainted with a dark stain and Alec remembered he had smashed a coffee cup against that spot a few nights before, after another failed attempt to find information about the cave and its nature. He vaguely remembered he had meant to clean it up but it seemed such an impossible amount of work and Alec couldn’t bring himself to find the energy to do it.

Seven days. _No_ , he thought as he looked at the watch hanging just above the coffee stain, _seven days and five hours_ since Magnus had been swallowed by the ground. They had spent the first few days researching. They had borrowed rare books from the Institute library and Alec had personally bought even more of them from downworlder shopkeepers who had charged him at least twice the value of the books. Alec hadn't cared. After three days of research without results and endless meetings with reclusive downworlders who might have been able to provide some insight, they hadn’t been able to push back Shadowhunter business any longer and now Alec spent all of his free time researching on his own.

He looked around himself. Piles of books were scattered all over his room, empty coffee cups and burnt candles placed in every surface, scrawled notes poking from some of the tomes. So far, Alec hadn’t had any luck. None of the books seemed to mention the cave with its dark red walls and the piles of books to go through were slowly dwindling by the day.

During the last seven days, Alec had kept replaying the scene in the cave in his head over and over, hoping to remember some little detail that could help him figure out how to save Magnus. He saw it so clearly, the moment Magnus had disappeared before his eyes. Different scenarios kept running in his head and he kept wondering what he could have done differently, what he could have done _better_. What if he had been faster? What if he had been able to get to Magnus in time? Every _what if_ was like an extra pound added to the weight crushing his chest.

Somehow Alec had never considered the possibility to have to live without Magnus. Maybe it had been selfish of him but he couldn’t help to be happy thinking that he would spend his whole life with his boyfriend, to be relieved that he wouldn’t be the one left behind. Now all of his beliefs were gone, shattered against the sharp edges of a different truth.

Alec had to learn the hard way what countless poets and writers meant when they wrote about heartbreak. He could almost feel his own heart falter, losing some beats as it slowly started to wither and die. Heartbreak was that excruciating pain that came abruptly, knocking at your door when you least expected it, barging in and driving everything else out. That kind of pain that started to consume you from the inside, killing your heart and soul at first, before devouring your body.

Alec wanted nothing more than crash back on the bed and let unconsciousness claim him, help him forget for a little longer. Yet, he knew he couldn’t afford to give up. It was not an option. He owed it to Magnus. He got off the bed with a sigh and hoped a shower would help him clear his head enough to keep going for the day.

**

Alec approached the Institute kitchen with a heavy heart. He had little taste for food but after the first two days, he had learned that he needed the fuel if he wanted to be able to keep up with his duties and his research. There was only so much a stamina rune could do, so he forced down meals that tasted like cardboard and kept going.

All of his hopes for a quick and quiet breakfast vanished as soon as he spotted the small group seated at one of the tables. His sister waved him over and soon he was sitting with her, Jace, and Clary. Izzy loaded a plate with food and placed it in front of him and he started to eat with his head down to avoid the pitying looks that were surely sent his way.

They had been very careful around him lately, they talked to him in hushed tones as if they were afraid he would break if they spoke louder. Alec wanted to break. He wanted to scream and scream and scream until his throat was raw and bleeding, until he could feel something other than the over encompassing pain tearing him apart, wrapped around his neck like a noose ready to snap at any given moment.

They kept telling him that it wasn’t his fault, that there was nothing he could have done. Why did he feel so guilty if it wasn’t his fault? Why did he feel the guilt clinging over his skin like a second layer?

Izzy cleared her throat, bringing him out of his musings. “Any luck with the research?”

He didn’t even raise his gaze from his plate. “The usual.”

She placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “We’ll find something.”

There was an uncomfortable silence after that, then Jace broke it. “Alec.” his voice was so serious that Alec raised his head to look at him. “Have you considered the possibility that he could be d-“

“Jace!” Clary hissed as Izzy sent him a fierce glare.

“What?” Jace raised his hands up in surrender. “I was just saying.”

“He‘s not dead,” Alec whispered, heart clenching and stomach churning in protest. Maybe eating hadn’t been such a good idea, after all. “You know what?” He said, clenching his jaw as anger built inside of him like a storm. “Screw you.” he threw his fork down and got to his feet. “Screw all of you.” He turned around and left, ignoring all of the voices calling him back.

His feet brought him to his office and, as soon as he closed the door behind him, he leaned on it and slid down on the floor, panting hard. He refused to consider the possibility that Magnus could be dead. The hope to find him was the only thing keeping him together and he knew that if he’d lose that, he would lose himself. He forced his breath down and reminded himself that he couldn’t afford to break down, not when Magnus needed him.

He had managed to keep himself together for a whole week through sheer force of will and overexertion. He had been working through mission after mission, paperwork after paperwork, long hours of research until the light of dawn. Everything to keep himself busy because if he stopped for a second the ringing in his ears would come back, the emptiness in his chest would threaten to consume him. Memories would hit him like a punch in his gut, strong enough to bring him to his knees when he was in the privacy of his own room. He carried himself around on autopilot, keeping himself busy with menial tasks and having to remind to himself to do the simplest things like a mantra.

 _Breathe_. Eat. _Breathe_. Work. _Breathe_. Shower. _Breathe_. Research. _Breathe_. Train. _Breathe_.

Not sleep, rarely sleep. That was when all of his defenses crumbled down and the pain hit harder. He didn’t think he could bear another dream of Magnus’ smile, Magnus’ eyes, Magnus’ accusing words. They made the loss a little more unbearable every time he woke up alone. Fatigue was easy to ignore, it was just an insignificant ache compared to the searing agony consuming him body and mind.

There were hopeful days but most were horrible days. That was one of the bad days. He just needed to hold on a little longer, until he could retire to the deafening silence of his room and start going through the books again. With that thought in mind, he repressed the urge to smash something against the nearest wall, he slowly got to his feet and walked toward his desk to keep himself busy yet again with paperwork.

He had just finished to sign the last of the paperwork for the day, when someone knocked on the door. Alec considered ignoring them but lately the Shadowhunters dared to approach him only if something important had come up, so he ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “Come in.” Anger flared through him again as he saw Jace walking inside the room, “What do you want?”

Jace lifted up his hands. “I come in peace,” he said. “Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I was just trying to-“

“No, you shouldn’t have.” Alec interrupted him. “Magnus is not dead. I’m not giving up.”

“I know,” Jace said. “And I’m here to offer you my help. You’re my brother, my parabatai. Tell me what I can do.”

 _Leave me alone_ , he wanted to scream. “Just…” He sagged in defeat, as all of his anger abruptly leaving his body. “Just keep looking, okay?”

“You got it, bro.” Jace sent him a hesitant smile. “We good?”

Were they? Alec was still upset but his parabatai was notorious for opening his mouth before connecting his brain. He sighed. “Yes.”

Jace walked to him, patted his shoulder and turned to leave. Halfway through the room he stopped and spoke without turning back. “You need to talk, you know where to find me.”

“I…” he trailed off. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it,” Then Jace walked out of the room, closing it shut behind him.

Alec sighed and looked at his watch. It was time to go back to his room and keep going through his books.

**

He slammed the book closed with a curse. His knuckles tightened on the handle of the coffee mug and it took all of his self-control not to smash it against the wall, it was his last cup and he couldn’t afford to waste it. He ran a hand through his hair and then stared at the space in front of him, hit by a sudden wave of nostalgia as he took in the emptiness of the wall. There were no colorful decorations, no rich paintings, none of the things that reminded Alec of _home_. He felt tears prickle at the back of his eyes and he was so fucking tired of holding them in but he had still work to do, he couldn’t let emotions take over.

He was about to open the next book, when he heard the soft knock on the door. He ignored it and focused on the book but whoever was outside of his door was persistent.

There was another knock and then he heard Izzy’s voice. “Alec,” she said. “I know you are there.”

He stood with a sigh, walked to the door and opened it. Izzy, bless her, was standing there with a heavy-looking bag over her shoulder and a pot of fresh brewed coffee in one hand. He managed a small smile that felt like a grimace and waved toward the room in invitation. “Come in.”

Izzy smiled back at him and walked inside, smile faltering as she saw the state of the room. She placed the pot of coffee of the nearest uncluttered surface and took a few books out of her bag. “I went to visit Raphael,” she said. “He found these, maybe they can help.”

“Thank you.” he took the books from her hands. “At this point, anything can help.” he looked at his watch. “It’s late, you should be going.”

“Scoot over,” she said. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Izzy.” Alec looked at her in the eye, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “I can handle it.”

“I never said you couldn’t,” Her voice was soft, her eyes warm.  “I’m just saying that you shouldn’t do it alone.”

Alec felt his chest tighten and he swallowed past the lump in his throat. He didn’t think he could manage to talk so he grabbed a book and handed it over to her, hoping that his eyes could express what his voice couldn’t.

**

Alec flipped over a page of the book he was currently reading, jumping slightly at Izzy’s excited voice. “Alec,” she said. “I think I have something.” she scooted closer to him. “Look at this. Dark red walls, pulsing with energy. It fits.”

Alec tried to not let his hopes up, it had happened several times before and he had been crushed beyond belief at yet another dead end. He put down the book with a sigh and they started reading together.

_The first Claustrum was created by Belial after the capture and disappearance of his wife and Queen. Blinded by rage and the need of revenge, the Greater Demon used a forbidden ritual to create a pocket dimension within the realm of his own Hell dimension. The main purpose of the Claustrum is to serve as an impenetrable prison, where hostages can be kept and interrogated for extended periods of time without any chance of escaping. Over the centuries most of the knowledge about them was lost but it is common knowledge that several Greater Demons created such pocket dimensions to keep hostages and imprison their enemies. The ritual behind the creation of the Claustrum is very complicated and it involves the use of six powerful demons who will act as guardians and whose spirits and powers will feed the prison, rendering it almost a sentient being._

_Once the prison will have acquired its victim, it will shut down and it won’t be accessible until the release of the prisoner or upon their death._

“Izzy,” Alec’s couldn’t contain the excitement in his voice. “That’s what happened, it shut me out. That means…”

“Magnus is still alive, brother.”

“Let’s go on.”

_Many have tried to breach the Claustrum, very few of them have succeeded. Sir Nicholas Black, a warlock whose companion had been trapped inside one of those prisons, is the only known person who has made out of it alive. It is thanks to his testimony that we are now able to document the complex ritual needed to breach the prison defenses. ‘The most strenuous part’ the warlock said during the interview, ‘was finding the blood of four different creatures. The rivalry and the hatred among species made me despair. It took me months to gather the four creatures and even longer to convince them to partake in the ritual, as it involved the blending of their blood. They consented only after the promise of a handsome retribution.’ Black had a faraway look as he spoke. ‘The Crimson Potion was hard to brew but breaching through the powerful barricade was almost easy. The true hardship was convincing my companions to join me in the last step. If we had not bonded during the time it took us to prepare for the ritual and if they had not been compassionate creatures, I fear all my efforts would have been in vain. For the ritual to work, we needed to spill our blood in a silver chalice and drink from it in turn, before slicing our palms with a blessed dagger and let our mixed blood flow upon the entry point. I feared for our lives and for the life of my beloved, for I had on good authority that anything less than complete willingness would have dire consequences. I had to fear not as we succeeded and, after parting ways with my companions, I was able to penetrate the prison and start my journey.’_

Alec lifted his head from the book. “This looks too easy.”

“You are forgetting something, brother,” Izzy said. “Downworlders haven’t always been on friendly terms. Hell, outside of New York there are still ongoing feuds. Imagine centuries ago, I’m surprised this Nicholas Black could find four willing participants.”

“It makes sense.” he had been on the verge of collapsing. He had been feeling like he was lost in the dark. No matter in which direction he had turned, the darkness had been so black that he couldn’t see the path. As he had kept reading though, a small, flickering spark had started to burn in the dark. It was such a small, fragile thing, weak and very far away but Alec recognized it for what it was. Hope. “Let’s keep reading.”

‘ _It was a dire place and I encountered many challenges in my journey. The hardest part was defeating the guardian demons without killing them. As their spirits fed the prison, it was bound to crumble if they died. As of today, I don’t know how I was able to find the strength to overcome the demons and keep my sanity. My lover was not as fortunate as she had spent a very long time in her confinement and she had to endure endless torment. We returned to our house but she has never been the same ever since.’_

For the first time in a week, Alec felt hope flood him. It was dizzying after all the despair he had been going through. “Izzy,” he said, hugging her quickly and releasing her immediately after. “We did it. We found a way.”

Izzy smiled back at him but there was worry in her eyes. “Alec,” she said. “it sounds very dangerous.”

“I don’t care.” He stood abruptly. “I need to arrange a meeting with the Inquisitor in Idris,” he didn’t even wait for his sister’s answer before running out of the room.

For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, he felt a genuine smile forming on his lips. It was such a strange feeling, like his facial muscles had forgotten what smiling felt like and they ached under the strain.


	5. Planning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec and his allies plan the rescue mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm almost done with editing. I'm confident I'll be able to update faster.  
> Things are finally starting to move forward. :)

“What the hell do you mean?” Alec slammed both of his hands on the mahogany desk in front of him, papers scattering over the surface.

“I mean, Mr. Lightwood,” the Inquisitor’s voice was hard as steel. “That I can’t approve a mission as risky as this one. Not for the sake of a downworlder.” her mouth curled in distaste at the word.

“He’s an ally,” he said through gritted teeth. “He has helped the Shadowhunters countless of times in the past.”

“While I acknowledge that Warlock Bane has been an asset to the Clave.” she straightened some papers on the desk. “I can’t allow this suicidal mission. You are dismissed.”

“You- You can’t do this.” he gripped the edge of the desk in a white-knuckled hold.

“Mr. Lightwood,” her tone was warning. “Remember your place. There is nothing more to be discussed here,” she said. “Don’t let emotions cloud your judgement. You are free to go now.”

Alec tried to swallow back the angry retort threatening to spill out of his lips, schooling his expression. It was time to change his tactic. “You are right, Madame Inquisitor,” he hoped his tone of voice didn’t betray any of the burning anger he felt. “I was out of line.” the apology tasted like poison on his mouth. “It has been a very tiring ordeal. If I may, I’d like to ask for a leave of absence.”

“What for, Mr. Lightwood?”

“I think I need some time to get my emotions back in check. I need to elaborate the loss and move past it.” as if he could, he though bitterly.

The Inquisitor looked at him shrewdly but then her face lost some of its severity. Maybe she had some humanity left, after all. “How much time do you need?”

“A month.” Alec hoped he wasn’t pushing his luck but he needed the time. “It should be enough to get myself back in control and hit the focus again.”

She waved a hand in dismissal. “I can’t afford to have the New York Institute unsupervised for a whole month.”

“I’ll appoint Jace as my replacement,” he said, knowing that the woman had a soft spot for his parabatai. “And I’ll be on call for eventual emergencies.”

“Very well,” she said after a long pause. “I expect you back on duty in a month, then.”

Alec hoped it would be enough, it had to be. If it turned out not to be enough, he would face the consequences of deserting his post later. “Thank you, Madam Inquisitor,” he said stiffly. “I’ll see myself out.” he turned around and headed for the door. He was about to grab the handle when she spoke again.

“Mr. Lightwood,” she said. “I can’t dictate what you do with your free time but I suggest you not to jeopardize your position within the Institute.”

Alec clenched his jaw. “Duly noted,” he replied before opening the door and stepping out of the office, heading toward the swirling portal waiting for him.

As soon as he stepped back out of the portal in his own office, he saw Izzy and Jace waiting for him, identical inquisitive expressions on their faces.

“How did it go?” Izzy asked.

“How do you think?” He replied bitterly, then he sighed. “It was a long shot anyway.”

Jace clasped his shoulder. “We’ll find a way, bro.”

“No,” Alec said, raising his hand up to prevent any protests. “I need you two to stay out of this. The Inquisitor allowed me to take some time off but she won’t be easily fooled. I need you to run the Institute and kill the Edomai left.”

“But Alec,” Izzy walked toward him and put her hand on his arm. “You can’t do this on your own.”

“I won’t.” he looked at them both earnestly. “Look, I need to be sure the Institute runs smoothly and I need to keep the Clave off my back. You are the only two people I trust with this.”

Silence hung in the air for some time and he looked at them seriously, hoping they would understand. He didn’t need overprotective siblings messing up his plans, not when he was so close to find Magnus and bring him back where he belonged.

It took a few, long seconds for the dissent in Izzy’s eyes to waver. “Okay,” she said after a while, before hugging him tightly. ”But don’t shut us out.”

Jace clasped his shoulder. “What she said.” he looked at Alec straight in the eye, dissent still clearly there. “I don’t like this,” He said. “But I’ll stay out of it for now.”

“Thanks.” Alec hugged back Izzy for a few more seconds, then disentangled himself gently from her arms. “I have work to do now. I’ll keep in touch.” he patted Jace’s back before turning around and walking away.

He walked out of the office and along the empty halls of the Institute, stopping briefly in his room to retrieve the book before making his way to the main entrance. Taking the matter up to the Clave had been a long shot but he couldn’t help the pang of disappointment twisting his guts as he thought about the Clave’s prejudice. He walked out of the double door with a new resolve. If he wouldn’t get help from the Shadowhunters, then it was time to go to other sources.

He walked away from the Institute without looking back once.

**

Alec stared at the dark door, trying to find the courage to knock. The door seemed to stare back at him, hard and hostile in its ambivalence. He was no under any illusion that he would be welcomed but Catarina Loss was his last chance and he hoped that they would be able to put aside their differences, that they would be able to work together for Magnus’ sake. Their last encounter was still fresh in his mind, her angry words kept going around his head and he faltered with his hand on the clapper, the iron cold and biting under his touch.

_Get a grip, Lightwood. Magnus needs you._

With a last deep breath, he brought the clapper down twice, wincing at the loud thuds resonating in his ears like gunshots. After what felt like an eternity but it couldn’t have been more than a minute, he felt a soft click and the door was pushed open. Catarina Loss stood over the threshold, as tall and forbidding as he remembered her but as Alec looked closer, he could see the dark circles around her eyes, the wariness etched in her face. She didn’t say a word and Alec fought the urge to fidget under her unforgiving stare, unconsciously bringing the hand holding the book up in a peace offering, or if he was being honest with himself as an attempt of protection.

Catarina arched a questioning eyebrow and Alec tried to find his voice. “I-“ he cleared his throat and tried again. “I think I’ve found something,” he managed to say. “To help Magnus.”

The woman’s eyebrow was arched higher, her mouth set in a hard line at the mention of her friend’s name. She regarded him for long, excruciating seconds before sighing and moving to the side. “Come in.”

Alec stepped inside, barely glancing around the entrance hall, before following the woman in a surprisingly cozy living room. The faded yellow walls complemented perfectly the solid redwood floor, the heavy curtains were drawn, letting light in and Alec noticed several touches of colors scattered around the place. A bright fire was burning inside the fireplace and Alec felt tears prickling at his eyes when he took in the pictures over the mantle, Magnus’ smiling face staring back at him from several of them.

He tore his eyes off the pictures and looked expectantly at Catarina, who pointed toward the red-brown couch with a wave of her hand. “Please Mr. Lightwood, take a seat.”

“It’s Alec,” he said, sitting down on the couch. “How are-“

“Let’s skip the pleasantries, Alec,” she said, voice hard. “Why are you here?”

“Raphael Santiago sent me this.” he opened the book to the right page and handed it over to her. “I found some information about the cave. It looks promising.”

Alec fidgeted as the woman read in silence, muttering something under her breath every now and then. She kept reading for a long time, ignoring Alec’s presence. Once she seemed satisfied enough, she lifted his gaze off the book and set it on Alec. “I am familiar with the Crimson Potion,” she said. “The ritual, on the other hand, seems a bit risky.”

“Please,” Alec said, not above begging the woman. “I- We need to try.”

“Relax, Shadowhunter.” her eyes bore into Alec’s. “I was just making sure you were informed of the risks,” she said. “It won’t be easy. How far are you willing to go to free Magnus?”

“I would do anything in my power.” there wasn’t even a hint of hesitation in his voice.

“Even mixing your angelic blood with lower creatures such as downworlders?”

“Magnus is a downworlder,” he said, voice firm, head held high. “I’ve never thought he was below me. I would do anything.”

She assessed him shrewdly. “I might have underestimated you,” she conceded. “Still, this won’t be easy. We need to find two more willing downworlders from different species. I think Raphael will be willing to help but-“

“I have already thought about it. I have someone in mind,” he interrupted. “How fast can you brew the potion?”

“I think two days will be enough,” she answered. “I’ll start to prepare the base today, The blood can be added as the last ingredient. In the meantime, we need to arrange a meeting.”

Alec felt relief flood him. _Two days_ , he thought. “I’ll get in touch with my contacts,” he said. “Is tomorrow afternoon okay for you?”

Catarina nodded. “I’ll contact Raphael, you do what you have to do. Come back tomorrow afternoon at 5 pm.”

Alec stood. “Thank you.” he was about to stretch out his hand when he was hit with a thought. “I- I promised my siblings I would keep them on the loop. Is it okay if I bring them over?”

She looked aggravated but she nodded with a sigh. “You can,” she said sternly. “But at the first sign of trouble, I’ll have them out of my house in a blink.”

“I understand,” he replied. “There won’t be any trouble.”

He stretched out his hand and Catarina grabbed it in a firm grip. “Until tomorrow, Shadowhunter.”

He left Catarina Loss' house with a lighter heart and as soon as he was out of the door, he started sending texts to Luke and his siblings.

**

Catarina Loss’ living room was bursting with activity. Alec took in the sight of the people gathered in small groups, greeting each other, talking in hushed tones. He thought that if Magnus had been there, he would have been astonished to see so many people coming together for him, he could even picture Magnus' bright eyes and the incredulity on his face. Alec was not surprised, Magnus had affected the lives of most of the downworlders and Shadowhunters in the room, especially his own.

Alec made sure to avoid his siblings. He had explained the basics of the mission to them and they hadn’t been thrilled about his request to stay behind. They had argued for hours but Alec hadn’t bulged, he needed them at the Institute and none of their arguing had been enough to make him change his mind.

He spotted Luke a few feet away, talking to some members of his pack and he made his way to him. “Luke,” he said, extending his hand. “Thank you for being here on such short notice.”

Luke turned and grabbed his hand in a firm grip. “Magnus is my friend,” he said, a serious expression on his earnest face. “I’ll do what I can to help him.” he patted Alec’s back roughly. ”How are you holding up?”

Alec was about to reply when Catarina Loss made her entrance. Most of the conversation died down, gazes following her movement to the center of the room. She looked around until her eyes found Alec, then she invited him to join her with a flourish of her hand. Alec headed toward her, ignoring the whispers all around him and the looks that were being sent his way. Some of the faces were hostile, some of them curious, some friendly. People parted to let him pass and soon he was standing next to Catarina, grabbing her extended hand and nodding at her in acknowledgement.

She turned toward the small crowd and cleared her throat. “As all of you know, we are here because one of our friends has been taken prisoner in another realm,” she said. “Until yesterday, we didn’t have any hope of bringing him back. Now we are in possess of new information and there might be the chance to rescue Magnus,” she grabbed the book Alec had brought over. “According to this book, there is a way to penetrate the prison. It involves a complicated ritual, one that four of us already agreed to undertake.”

She continued to explain the specifics of the ritual and Alec tuned her out, knowing every part of it by heart. He looked around himself and saw that people were listening intently, some of them with skeptic expressions on their faces, most of them interested. He made eye contact with Izzy, who sent an encouraging smile his way, anger apparently forgotten.

When Catarina finished to explain everything, several people started to talk at once, until she raised her hands up and invited them to talk one at a time. “Raphael.” she waved at him, indicating that he could speak.

Raphael walked closer. “We talked about this. I thought we already had four willing participants.” he swept his hands in a wide gesture, indicating the small crowd around him. “What are all those people here for?”

Alec thought it was a good question, he had been wondering the same since he had stepped inside the room. They already had decided that Luke, Catarina, Raphael, and Alec himself would partake in the ritual so he didn’t understand what all of those people were doing there. Not that he didn’t trust Catarina’s judgement but he thought that the less people were involved, the less chances they had to mess things up. Before meeting Magnus, he had always been used to rely mostly on himself and, to a lesser degree, on his siblings. Thinking about relying on so many people made him uncomfortable.

Catarina nodded. “We have the four participants needed to breach the prison,” she said. “But I’ve been thinking about the matter of bringing Magnus to safety. We know how to open a breach through the wards but we don’t know how to get back to our dimension. Once we will enter the prison, the wards will close up again. Time is of the essence and further research at this point would only hinder us, so I’ve come up with a plan.” she paused. “We need as many people as possible. We have to set up groups of four people, taking turns to perform the ritual at regular intervals and standing guard to the entrance. This way we will have a way out once we rescue Magnus.”

Alec hadn’t thought that far ahead, his only concern had been finding a way to get to Magnus as soon as possible and bring him out of that horrible place. That seemed like a sound plan though, and he was impressed with the woman.

They spent the next two hours splitting people in groups and setting up a schedule, making sure to include a warlock in every group to perform the incantation needed. Soon people started to leave in small groups, until only their close circle of friends were left. Alec walked over to the couch and dropped next to Izzy with a sigh. There was still much to plan and he was already exhausted. He looked around himself and he was assaulted by a wave of something similar to affection for the people left in the room. All of them cared for Magnus and Alec was grateful beyond belief that they would go to such lengths to bring him back.

Luke broke the silence. “So, what’s the plan once we breach the wards?”

Alec looked at him. “We haven’t thought that far yet,” he said. “We open up the wards, then I go through-“

“Hold your horses, Shadowhunter,” Raphael interrupted him, a scowl on his face. “Do you really think I would leave my friend’s fate in your hands?”

Alec was mildly offended. “What the hell is that supposed to mean? If you think I won’t take part in the mission, you are delusional.”

“Easy, son.” Luke lifted a placating hand up. “What Raphael was saying is that we won’t let you go alone.” he sent a meaningful glance to the vampire. “Isn’t that right?”

“Whatever.” Raphael sounded annoyed.

Alec swallowed back the angry retort threatening to slip past his lips, reasoning that it was not the time to fight. “Thank you,” he said, meaning it. “But I can’t ask you to risk your lives. You are leaders, you have people who depend on you.”

“So are you,” Luke’s voice was warm but steady, unwavering. “Listen, we all care about Magnus. We’re coming and that’s final.”

“Lucian is right,” Catarina interjected. “You can’t keep us from coming to Magnus’ rescue.”

“I’d like to see him trying,” Raphael scoffed.

Before Alec could answer to any of them, they were startled by a new voice.

“I’m coming too,” Simon said softly.

All of them turned to look at him, identical expressions of disbelief on their faces.

“What?” Simon blinked owlishly.

“No offence, mundane,” Jace spoke for the first time. “Alec benched me and Izzy. What makes you think he would take _you_ along? You don’t have any training.”

“Not a mundane anymore,” Simon said, head held high. “There is more than brawn in a rescue mission. I bring the brains. I mean, have you ever seen a horror movie? The nerd friend always tags along and most of the time he saves the day,” he babbled, waving his hands wildly in the air. “Although, he’s often the one who dies first- but that’s not the point. The point is, Magnus helped me a lot and I’m going.”

They spent the next ten minutes arguing but Simon seemed to have a very eloquent answer for every argument they made against him. Alec pinched the bridge of his nose to stave off the headache that he could feel coming, trying to keep himself from throttling the babbling vampire as he made yet another mundane reference.

The arguing was brought short by Catarina’s voice. “ _Enough_.” she assessed Simon shrewdly for a few moments. “It won’t be easy.”

Simon pursed his lips. “To infiltrate a Hell dimension?” he asked, rolling his eyes. “Imagine that.”

Catarina looked at him for a few more moments and she must have seen something in his eyes because she nodded curtly. “All right. The vampire can come.”

Alec gaped at her and soon they were arguing loudly again but Catarina silenced them all, saying that Simon was a daylighter and they could use his power and his brain, that they could use all the help they could get. In the end they had begrudgingly agreed to take Simon along and Alec hoped that he wouldn’t regret it later, already knowing that he surely would.

Once the matter was settled, they started to discuss their plan in detail for hours. Alec could feel fatigue settling deeply in his bones but he kept drinking from his coffee cup, listening intently and interrupting on occasion to clarify some matters.

When Alec thought he was about to pass out from exhaustion, Catarina cleared her throat and spoke. “I think this is enough for today,” she said. “The potion will be ready tomorrow at 7 pm. The fresh blood needs to be added a few hours before. We’ll reconvene here at noon.”

They exchanged a few pleasantries and Alec was about to leave when Catarina called him back. “Alec, a word please.”

He gestured to his siblings to go ahead without him and turned around to face her. “What is it?”

“I guess I’m correct in assuming that you haven’t been sleeping well lately.”

Alec swallowed, thinking about all the sleepless night and the few hours of troubled sleep he had managed to get in between. “You are.”

“You will need your strength.” she snapped her fingers and a small glass vial appeared in her hand. “Take this, it will help you sleep.” she handed it over to him.

Alec grabbed the vial with a small smile. “I- Thank you.”

“You are welcome,” she said. “Tomorrow at noon. Don’t be late.” with that she turned around and walked away.

**

Alec crashed on the bed with a moan, feeling his body melt into the mattress. He knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep, no matter how tired he was. It was the worst feeling ever, it was like his body was ready to shut down at any minute but his brain wouldn’t shut up. Excitement ran through his veins and several thoughts kept going around his mind in circles, making impossible for him to get some needed rest. He eyed warily the potion on his nightstand, then grabbed it with a sigh, uncorked it and brought it to his lips. The clear liquid tasted foul and he had to force himself to swallow it down, grimacing in distaste. He put down the empty vial and settled back on the bed, hoping it would take effect soon. Catarina was right, he had no idea what they’d have to face inside the prison and he needed all of his strength.

Soon he could feel his mind slowing down, his stiff muscles loosening, a weird sense of relaxation spreading through his limbs.

 _Hold on, Magnus. I’m coming_ , was his last thought before a deep, dreamless sleep claimed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not used to write so much dialogue between different people, so I hope it turned out okay. :)


	6. Descent into Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec and the others start their descent into Hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, I want to thank all of you for leaving kudos and commenting. I love all of you. :)  
> I'm sorry it took me so long to update but I realized this chapter was halfway edited and I had to wait.  
> I hope you'll enjoy it.

Alec took a seat at the table, looking at the people around him with something similar to affection. Catarina and Luke where talking quietly on the other side of the round table, Izzy was seated right beside him, Raphael was scowling at everyone.

Alec stretched, feeling rested for the first time in what felt like ages. The sleeping draught had worked miracles and he had managed to sleep undisturbed through the night, without nightmares plaguing his subconscious. He had taken a quick shower and summoned his siblings to discuss the last details, before appointing Jace in charge of the Institute and leaving with Izzy. Now they were all waiting to spill their blood for the last step of the potion bubbling in the cauldron a few feet away from them, under a protection spell.

His musings were interrupted by a loud knock on the door and he watched as Catarina stood and walked gracefully toward the entrance hall. A few seconds after, she returned with Simon in tow. The vampire was carrying what looked like two bags full of Chinese take-out on his right hand and a smaller bag on his left hand.

“Guys,” he greeted as he walked toward them, placing the bags on the table.

The vampire started to take out the food from the big bags, placing several mouth-watering dishes in front of everyone and taking out two containers of blood from the smaller bag. He kept a container for himself and tossed the other one in Raphael direction, who grabbed it with a frown.

Only then he seemed to notice that everyone was staring at him. “What?” he blinked at them. “I thought that everyone could use one last meal before barging in the deepest bowels of Hell. You know, I’d rather face death and destruction with a full stomach.”

Alec rolled his eyes with a snort. _So much for optimism_. He was about to let out a sarcastic retort when Luke spoke.

“Right,” he said, an amused smile on his lips. “Thank you, Simon.” then he grabbed a plate and started to load it with food.

After that, dishes were passed from hand to hand and everyone started eating. Alec would have never thought he would be able to force down something but as Izzy placed a plate loaded with all of his favorite dishes, the smell hit his nostrils and he realized he was famished. As of a common accord, nobody talked about the imminent rescue mission, deciding to enjoy their meal without the reminder of what they had to face.

They chatted about frivolous things for a while but when they moved to the couch the conversation steered toward Magnus and all of them shared some anecdote about him.

Raphael waved his hands in an exaggerate gesture. “Did he ever tell you about the time he was banned from Peru?”

A giggle started to bubble inside Alec’s chest, unbidden. His mind conjured images of Magnus being banned from a whole country, picturing the indignant but amused expression that was sure to grace Magnus' face, his bright eyes. Before he knew it, he was doubling over, hands clutching his sides as his shoulders shook with laughter. He hadn’t laughed ever since Magnus’ capture and now that he had started, he didn’t seem to be able to stop. He almost expected to hear Magnus’ amused chuckle beside him and when he realized that wasn’t going to happen, the laughter started to twist and mutate inside of his ribcage until he had to keep it in, sure he would start to sob otherwise.

When he managed to catch his breath and regain some control over his emotions he noticed that Izzy was muffling her giggles into the hand covering her mouth, Catarina was smiling as she surreptitiously wiped some tears from the corners of her eyes, Simon seemed to have choked on his own saliva and he was coughing hard, eyes frozen in a mixture of mirth and sadness. Luke was patting Simon’s back, his own mouth stretched into an amused grin. Raphael seemed rather pleased with himself.

Alec felt a little better, hit all over again with a wave of affection for the people around him. Magnus was their common goal, they all cared about him and he felt a little more hopeful about their chances of success. They would get him back.

They kept waiting in a companionable silence, until Catarina declared that it was time to add their blood to the potion. They took turns in slicing their palms and pouring a few drops of blood inside the bubbling cauldron, then they settled to wait for the potion to be ready.

**

Alec walked in silence beside Izzy, the others walking a little ahead, all of them loaded with weapons and ready to penetrate the Claustrum. The last time he had walked toward the cave, Magnus had been right behind him and, right then, Alec would have given anything to feel his comforting presence again. He kept walking, ignoring the worried glances his sister kept sending his way, trying to push back any unwelcome thoughts.

Soon they reached the entrance of the cave and Alec shivered, remembering the despair he had felt standing there, helpless, unable to get past the wards. He noticed Jace and Clary waiting for them and the group steered toward them, walking past the four downworlders who had drawn the first turn of guard. Alec greeted all of them, then he stepped back as Catarina took the potion out of her pocket and started to chant the incantation that would allow them to pass through the force-field.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and he let Jace drag him to the side, where Clary, Izzy and Simon were waiting for them.

“I don’t like this.” Jace’s face was hard. “I don’t like not being there to watch your back.”

Alec pushed down the irritation, knowing that Jace was just worried for him. “But you are,” he said. “You are watching my back by covering for me. I need you here, Jace.”

“I know,” Jace sighed. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

Alec dragged him in a one-armed hug before releasing him with a pat on his back. “Watch out for Izzy.”

“Hey,” Izzy's voice was indignant. “I can take care of myself.” she punched him lightly on the arm, then her expression grew serious. “Be careful, Alec.”

He hugged her tightly, breathing in the familiar scent of her hair. “I will.”

They hugged for a few seconds, then Alec pulled back and turned toward Simon and Clary who were locked in a similar hug. He cleared his throat. “It’s time to go, vampire.” he gestured toward the shimmery portal starting to form where the invisible wall had been.

Clary let go of Simon and Alec was startled when she launched herself in his arms, hugging him briefly. She pulled back and he saw tears in her eyes.

“Please, Alec,” she said. “Watch Simon’s back. I don’t trust him not to get killed.”

Simon snorted. “Thank you for the vote of confidence, Fray.”

Before Clary could reply, Catarina let out a small cry of victory and Alec saw that she had managed to open a breach in the wards. They exchanged one last glance and Alec walked away, Simon in tow.

They managed to slip past the wards easily and Alec’s breath quickened with every step toward the damned cave, his mind conjuring images of Magnus falling through the hole in the ground, of the pain in his eyes as he looked at Alec for the last time. He pushed the images to the back of his mind and kept going, knowing he couldn’t afford to get distracted right then.

The cave was just as he remembered it, dark red walls quivering and pulsating menacingly all around them, as if sensing that they were there to do harm. Luke whistled on his left, while Simon gasped, eyes wide as saucers but there was no time for exploration, they needed to perform the ritual as soon as possible. Catarina took out the silver goblet out of the bag hanging from her shoulders, then she took out the dagger. That was when it hit Alec for the first time: Alec and Catarina would manage to go through the ritual unaffected but the silver of the chalice was bound to hurt Luke and the blessed dagger would be excruciatingly painful for Raphael. Alec felt a newfound appreciation for the two men.

They completed the ritual in silence, broken only by Luke’s grunt as he drank and Raphael’s hiss of pain as the dagger sliced through his palm. Alec knew he should have been disgusted to drink someone else’s blood but in truth, he didn’t care. Not if that meant seeing Magnus again. They waited for a few seconds, before slicing their palms and pouring their blood on the spot Alec pointed at, while Catarina healed the werewolf and the vampire.

At first, it looked like nothing was going to happen, then Alec started to feel the floor under his feet tremble and he lowered his gaze, watching as the ground started to shift before their eyes. There was no gaping hole this time, the ground opened cleanly and Alec could see what looked like the start of a long staircase, stone steps going down and fading in darkness.

Luke peered down. “Well, then,” he said. “Any ideas about what we can expect down there?”

“We are breaching a sentient prison.” Catarina looked grim. “For all we know, it could conjure our worst fears.”

“Wait.” Simon took a step back, a horrified expression on his face. “There won’t be any roaches, would they?”

Luke chuckled and patted his back. “I’m sure you’ll manage.”

“ _Dios,_ ” Raphael sounded indignant. “Seriously, Lewis? Roaches?” he sighed dramatically. “I can’t believe we agreed to bring _him_ along.”

“Fine,” Simon said with a shrug. “Go ahead and make fun of the katsaridaphobic vampire.”

Alec sighed heavily. “All right,” he interjected, stopping the argument. “There is no time to waste. Remember, no killing the demons. We go in, neutralize them, and get Magnus back.”

It was easier for Alec to speak as if they were going to succeed, it was less easy to ignore the gaping hole in his chest, the gnawing fear that he would fail. He tried to push the thought away, to summon all of his faith in himself and in the small group of people ready to descend in hell alongside him. They couldn’t afford thinking that they would fail, _he_ couldn’t afford to think about failure or Magnus would be lost. He thought about him, about the way Magnus’ eyes flashed yellow when he was angry, the way they softened when he looked at Alec, the way his mouth twitched when he was amused.

 _No_ , Alec though. _We are not going to fail. We are going to get him back._

He checked the weapons strapped over his body one last time, then he turned around with a sigh and started his descent into darkness, leading the way.

**

Alec had lost count of the steps he had climbed down and the staircase seemed to go on forever. He adjusted the grip on his witchlight but it wasn’t much use, he couldn’t see anything past its glimmer. The darkness was so thick it felt like it covered everything like a blanket, threatening to swallow them in its shadow, to expose them to the terrible things Alec felt like were lurking around them.

Alec shivered but then he reminded to himself that as long as he could still see that little flame of hope burning in the distance, the darkness couldn’t touch him. Until that tiny, weak spark kept burning he could make his way through the dark, sure it would lead him to Magnus. He kept going, fueled by the demon screaming inside of his ribcage. Guilt had been the demon Alec had been carrying over his shoulders ever since Magnus had been taken away from him. Now, he thought, the hope raging inside of his chest was a more powerful demon. It fueled him but Alec was aware that it could lull him into a false sense of security, only to jump at him and leave him gutted.

He stopped to catch his breath, bending over to place his hands on his aching thighs. Someone bumped into him from behind, making him lose his balance. He steadied himself against the wall, wincing as the rough stone scratched his forearm, turning around with a glare.

“Watch out,” he hissed through gritted teeth.

“Sorry.”

Alec snorted, of course it had to be the vampire. He resumed his descent, breathing in dirt, dust clinging to his skin like a film with every step down. He started to feel the heat at the same time he noticed the flickering red glow dancing a few feet below. “We’re almost down,” he warned the others.

There was a low grunt, then a muffled “Thank God,” above his head, then they kept going in silence.

As soon as his feet hit flat ground, he noticed that the reddish light was coming from high flames burning around them, only a narrow path separating the walls of fire burning on both sides. He spun around to get his bearing, heart pounding against his ribcage. The silence of the place, broken only by the crackle of the flames and the surprised gasp behind him, was unnerving. He kept expecting demons barging on them but the place was eerily quiet. He squinted and saw a stone wall right ahead, just at the end of the path. The road ended to a small opening on the stone. He raised his witchlight up and pointed toward the opening.

“Great,” Simon said, “Watch your steps, guys. I’m not digging the idea of turning into a pile of dust.”

“ _Dios,_ ” Raphael muttered.

Catarina and Alec exchanged exasperated glances as Luke walked past them. “Right.” he wiped dirt from his eyes. “Let’s go on.”

They started walking toward the opening, flames dancing menacingly all around them, casting eerie shadows on their faces and on every surface. They managed to reach the entrance without complications and, once they stepped through, they found themselves in a round, large room carved in the rock, several smaller openings leading to different tunnels. Alec counted eight of them.

“Great,” he said. “How do we know which one of those will lead us to Magnus?”

Luke cleared his throat. “Maybe we should-“

“If you are going to say we should split up, forget it,” Simon’s voice was shrill. “This is the worst idea ever, it never works, like _ever_ -”

“Calm down.” Luke patted Simon on the back. “I was just suggesting we should check them out one by one.”

Catarina started to walk toward the nearest opening, then she turned around. “Well?” She said, foot tapping impatiently on the ground. “Are you coming?”

The first three openings lead to dead ends but halfway through the fourth a rancid smell hit Alec’s nostrils, so putrid that he had to bring a hand up to cover his nose. Abruptly a loud gurgling sound rumbled from behind and Alec whipped around quickly, only to wish he hadn’t. The demon coming toward them was huge, clawed hands extended forward, dark scaled skin gleaming with what looked like a slick moisture, sharp teeth bared in a snarl, black eyes slit by red pupils blinking at them from each of its three heads.

The ground trembled as the demon advanced, a thick mist of dust raising from the floor and leaking out of every cranny in the wall, flying everywhere with every step it took. Alec took a few steps back, hands over his bow, vaguely aware of someone whimpering behind him. The demon tilted his horned middle head at the sound and started to walk faster.

Alec turned around, bringing a finger to his nose to warn the others to keep quiet, signaling them to turn back with his other hand. They started to walk backward slowly, eyes glued to the beast, turning around and breaking into a run only when they reached the exit of the tunnel.

When they stepped back in the main room, Catarina pushed them out of the way and waved her hands toward the opening, muttering quick incantations under her breath. Alec watched in fascination as a silvery net started to form, expanding and shimmering until it covered all the empty space, blocking the exit to the demon. He held his breath as he saw the demon barge on the net, releasing it when the demon started to fling itself against the barrier and snarling inhumanly when it failed to bulge.

“Wow,” Simon said in awe. “That was awesome.”

Catarina ignored him and wiped the sweat from her forehead. “Let’s go. We have still four tunnels to explore.”

“And five more demons to defeat,” Luke added.

They started to walk toward the fifth opening in silence and when they reached the end of the stone tunnel, Alec noticed that instead of ending in a dead end like the other four, the pathway lead to a bigger cave.

He turned around. “This could be it.”

“It could.” Luke walked over and peered inside the cave. “But we still need to check the other three tunnels. Just in case.”

“The werewolf is right,” Raphael said with a scowl, as if it pained him to agree with Luke.

Catarina put a hand on Alec’s shoulder. “We can’t take any chances.”

Simon just looked expectantly at Alec.

Alec sighed. He was impatient to find Magnus, there was nothing more than he wanted than to get to Magnus as soon as possible. They were right though, they couldn’t afford to take any chances. He couldn’t let his impatience cloud his judgement and years of training told him that casing the place was the smartest thing to do. They needed to explore all the possible exits, they needed to learn as much as they could about the damned place before rushing into things. The logical part of Alec’s brain acknowledged that. The part of Alec’s brain that was driven by his heart was another matter, it urged him to go on, to not waste one more minute. He could almost feel the seconds ticking by ominously, seconds during which Magnus might be enduring the Angel knew what. So _no_ , Alec didn’t want to waste time but if there was the chance that his own impatience could cost him Magnus, then he wasn’t going to take any risks.

“All right.” he sighed heavily and turned around. “Let’s go back.”

Tunnels number six and seven turned out to be other dead ends but when they reached the end of the last pathway, Alec’s heart started to beat faster. He took in the iron bars blocking their path, leading to what looked like a cell. He peered inside and his hopes died as he saw that the cell was empty, except for the several bones scattered over the floor. They were old bones, yellow with age, most of them torn and sporting jagged indentations that looked suspiciously like bite marks.

“Oh,” Simon said, disgust clear in his voice. “I think we found Fluffy’s dinner.”

All of them turned to look at him but only Raphael voiced what they were all surely thinking. “ _Fluffy_?”

“Come on, guys.” Simon looked at them with an incredulous expression on his face. “That three-headed demon?" he gestured vaguely behind his back. "Haven’t you ever watched Harry Potter?”

Alec pinched the bridge of his nose. “Lewis,” he said, voice dangerously low. “Shut up or I will personally feed you to _Fluffy_.”

Simon backed away slowly. “Shutting up, now.”

Luke chuckled, looking at Simon with fondness, while the rest of them exchanged exasperated glances. Almost in synch, they turned back and started to walk toward what they now knew was the right path to take.

Toward Magnus.


	7. Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec and the others continue their journey through Hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, I want to thank all of you for your lovely response. :)  
> I'm almost done with the editing process and I'm confident I will be able to update more often. I'll try to post on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

As soon as he stepped out of the tunnel, Alec noticed a tangible change in the air. It was thick and hot, it felt almost hostile against his skin and he couldn't help the shiver running through his body. It was like the prison had sensed that they were getting closer to its hostage and it wasn’t happy about it. Alec felt the weight of a hundred eyes over him, following each of his steps, making his skin prickle and the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. As he walked, he could swear he heard whispers all around him, hissing voices urging him to go back, to turn around and leave. Alec tried to push them away, bringing forth a mental image of Magnus to keep himself focused on his goal. He had to get to Magnus, nothing else mattered. After he had come this far, he wasn’t going to let intangible entities dissuade him from his mission. He could feel Magnus’s presence closer and closer with each step he took and that fueled him to go on.

He looked at his companions and, judging by the expressions on their faces, they were as affected as him but they gritted their teeth and kept going.

They walked in silence for a while and by the time they reached a stone arch leading to yet another chamber, Alec had lost track of time. He had no idea how much time had passed since they had breached the prison, it felt like an eternity but Alec wasn’t a good judge when it came to time lately. Since Magnus had disappeared, time had been cruel to Alec, mocking him by ticking incredibly slowly. Every minute without knowing where Magnus was stretched into a hour, every hour into a day. Ten days seemed like a ridiculously small amount of time, yet they had felt like ten years to Alec.

They reached the passageway and were about to go through it when four demons seemed to materialize out of thin air, surrounding them and circling around them like sharks. Alec realized they were different species of demons: one of them had long spidery legs supporting a small headless body and it emitted dull clicking sounds; one was tall and slender, covered in green scales from head to toes, a malicious glint in its beady eyes, two rows of teeth bared in a snarl; one was bulky, small patches of black fur scattered randomly over its body, a low growl coming from its throat; the last one reminded Alec of the Edomai that had invaded the city but its skin was reddish and, judging by the smoke coming out of its nose, Alec was sure it could spit fire.

He turned toward the vampires. “Watch out for the red one. I’m pretty sure it can spit fire.”

Simon paled and let out a small whimper but Raphael nodded once in acknowledgement and grabbed Simon’s hand, dragging him out of the line of potential fire. The demons seemed content to just stare at them. None of them made a move to attack but Alec knew they had to find a way to defeat them, and quickly at that. The demons had an obvious advantage, they were free to kill any of them without repercussions, whereas Alec and his companions could not kill any of the demons. Not if they wanted to get out of there alive.

Catarina broke the silence. “I’ll do what I can but I can’t afford to deplete my magic.” she eyed warily the creatures. “I might need it to help Magnus.”

Alec nodded. “We need to split them up. We can take one each and, remember-“

“No killing them, we got it,” Luke said before moving a little over and hunching down.

Alec watched in fascination as his body shifted, until the man was gone and the wolf stood in his place. Luke’s transformation seemed to confuse the demons, their movements faltered a little and they took a few steps back, emitting frustrated sounds. That was the distraction they needed. The wolf slipped past them and attacked the black-furred demon from behind, until they were both on the ground, a growling tangle of fur and limbs rolling all over the floor.

Alec moved quickly and went for the red demon, which turned out could really spit fire. He danced around the demon, flames brushing dangerously near his skin, ducking and backing backwards to drag it away from the vampires. He concentrated on his own fight, hoping with all his heart that the others would be able to subdue their demons. He gave the demon a slow, long look, eyes probing for any weakness. When it stretched its wings, Alec was struck by an idea so he started to move purposefully, steering the creature toward the nearest wall. When they were close enough, he aimed his bow and danced around the flames again, protecting his flank as he spun sideways, waiting for the right moment to fire his arrow. He cursed loudly when flames grazed his arm but his hold on the bow didn’t waver, aiming and firing when he saw the demon stretch its wings. One well-aimed arrow pierced the extended wing, pinning it to the wall behind. The demon writhed and wailed and Alec waited patiently, firing another arrow as soon as the other wing was lined with the wall. Once he was sure it wasn’t going to get free anytime soon, he turned around and joined the battle behind him.

He met Raphael’s gaze and the vampire nodded curtly at him between ducking a claw and delivering a punch. “Good call,” he panted.

Alec nodded back. “Are you good?”

“Yes,” Raphael gasped, ducking again as the demon attacked him. “Go help Cat and the fledgling.”

Alec turned around without another word and took in the scene before his eyes. Catarina and Simon were keeping the spider-like demon at bay, while Luke had turned back in human form and he had apparently taken a page out of Alec’s book because he was straddling the bulky demon and piercing its shoulder with a blade. The beast let out a long, guttural scream and tried to get up but Luke sank the blade deeper, pinning it to the ground. Luke turned toward Alec and extended his arm and as Alec understood, he drew one of the blades from his holster and threw it toward the other man, who grabbed it and pushed it through the demon’s other shoulder with a swift move.

Luke stood quickly and signaled Alec to go help Catarina and Simon, while he ran away to help Raphael.

Alec advanced toward the spider-like demon, shivering in revulsion. Spiders were one of his weaknesses, there was something about them that had always freaked him out. Nonetheless, he took a deep breath and forced himself to approach the demon, thinking that he would throw himself in a pool full of spiders if that was what it would take to get his boyfriend back.

He waved Catarina and Simon away, circling the creature, trying to find its weak points. This one couldn’t be pinned to the floor, its legs were too thin and Alec wasn’t going to risk piercing the body, not without knowing where its internal organs were. He ducked as the demon spit a disgusting-looking green substance from its mouth, taking a step back and approaching it from the other side.

“Go for the legs,” Simon shouted.

He turned quickly toward the voice and, as Simon waved his hand in a slicing gesture, Alec understood. He slung his bow back over his shoulder and took out the other blade from the thigh holster, swinging it in a large swipe, successfully cutting off four of the creature’s legs. The demon clicking sounds increased in volume and it lost its balance, landing on its side and rolling over. Alec sliced off the other four legs for good measure, turning around and nodding at Simon in acknowledgement.

“Thanks,” he rasped.

Alec didn’t wait for Simon's answer. He turned and ran toward Luke and Raphael who were still fighting against the green scaly demon. He joined the battle but although they had the numbers on their side, the demon fought like a wild beast, sharp teeth bared and claws swinging madly against them. Soon Alec realized that they weren’t going to subdue this one, not without exhausting themselves and sustaining some serious injuries in the process. There was no way their blades could penetrate its thick scales and they couldn’t get close enough to block him in any other way.

“Step away.” Catarina’s voice rang loudly in the air.

Alec stepped back a few steps. “Catarina,” he said between harsh breaths. “You can’t.”

“it’s just one demon. A little summoning spell shouldn’t do any damage.” She walked forward. “Everyone, step away from the demon.”

Alec nodded sharply and stepped back. “Do what she said.”

The other men stepped away from the beast and it stood still for a few seconds, confused by the sudden change. It was all it took for Catarina to snap her fingers and, suddenly, the demon was trapped in a sturdy iron cage, throwing itself against the bars and snarling loudly.

They stood in the middle of the room, panting hard, trading victorious glances. For the first time since they had embarked in their insane journey, Alec felt elation swell inside of his chest. They had done it, they had to defeat one more demon and then he could finally, _finally_ get to Magnus. A new kind of thrill went through Alec body, the adrenaline almost enough to take his breath away.

“Ehm, guys?” Simon’s voice interrupted Alec’s musings. “I don’t want to spoil the fun but I think we should hurry up. I mean, how much do demons take to bleed out? Now that I think about it, can they die from blood loss? Or is that ichor loss?”

Alec rolled his eyes with a sigh but the vampire had a point, they needed to hurry. “All right,” he said. “Let’s go.”

They didn’t even have the time to start walking when a clapping sound reverberated from behind. They turned as one and Alec groaned as what he supposed was the last demon, walked toward them slowly, clapping its claw-like hands. It looked like nothing Alec had ever seen, he wasn’t even sure it could be strictly called a demon. It had a human-shaped body, scantily clad in a tunic that barely covered its groin. Its skin was silvery-blue and shimmered with every step it took toward them. A delicate beak emerged from its face, where the nose should have been and its head seemed covered in soft feathers, shimmering with the same silvery-blue hue as its body. As it approached, Alec noticed that his eyes lacked the wildness of the other demons, they looked rather intelligent as they focused on them. Alec was not as surprised as he should have been when it started talking.

“Congratulations for a job well done,” it said, advancing toward them. “But I’m afraid your journey ends here.”

“We are here for the prisoner.” Alec's voice was unwavering. “Step away and we won’t harm you.”

“Ah,” the demon said, amusement in his voice. “I’m terribly sorry but I can’t allow anyone to step through that arch.” He pointed toward the stone arch. ”Not without a price.”

Alec didn’t hesitate. “Name it.”

“Alec,” Catarina’s voice was urgent. “Don’t. Making deals with demons-“

“I’m not your garden variety demon,” the demon interrupted, waving her concerns away. “I have no interest in your insignificant souls. What I’m after is some mental challenge. As you can guess, I’m the guardian whose powers give the Claustrum some form of intelligence. A creature with a brain like mine needs to be entertained. It has been very bleak here for the last few centuries.” He looked at each of them in turn, eyes sparkling with amusement. “But before getting to business, I believe introductions are in order. I am one of the last of my species. We are a breed of fierce warriors known for our strategic intelligence.” He bowed slightly. “My name is Sarthroran the Destroyer but I prefer Sarth.”

“Of course you do,” Simon said. “I know I would. I mean, your full name has a menacing ring to it. Not good if you are looking for new friends. Sarth on the other hand is catchy, more friend-“ his eyes widened in horror as he seemed to realize who he was talking to and he froze mid-sentence, snapping his mouth shut.

Alec snorted. “Don’t mind the vampire,” he said. “Name your price.”

“Alec, wait.” Luke advanced toward the demon. “If you are not interested in our souls, why would you help us?”

“I never said I would help you,” the demon answered, sounding if possible more amused. “I shouldn’t. But you see, I was taken with force and bound to this place for eternity. It goes without saying that I hold no loyalty to the Prince who bound me here. Still, my position allows me a little – _ah_ – leverage.” He looked at Alec. “I have one condition. I give you a riddle, you solve it. If you prove yourselves worthy of my time, we can go to the next step. You will need to find a riddle good enough to keep me entertained.”

Alec’s eyes narrowed. “Is that it?” he asked. “Where’s the catch?”

“Have I forgotten to mention my analytical brain?” the demon emitted a wheezing sound, suspiciously similar to a laugh. “The _catch_ , as you say is that you will be allowed to stay in the cell only as long as it takes me to solve the riddle. After that, I’ll kill each of you with a snap of my talons.” He wiggled them as if to prove the point. “I will give you some privacy to discuss my terms.”

With that, it walked away, out of earshot. They looked at each other, same discouraged expressions on their faces. Alec’s heart raced, they were so close, he couldn’t let a stupid bird-like demon come between him and Magnus. At the same time, the demon looked very powerful and he didn’t doubt that it could easily kill all of them with a snap of his talons, as it had nonchalantly declared.

Catarina walked to Simon and grabbed him by the shoulders. “You said you would bring the brains,” she said seriously. “Do you think you can do this?”

Simon swallowed hard, Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. “I-“ For the first time ever he seemed at loss for words. “I can try.”

Raphael snorted. “Are we really trusting the fledgling with this?”

“Raphael.” Luke’s voice held a warning. He walked toward Simon and looked at him straight in the eye. “Listen to me, Simon. I have known you since you were just a pup. I know you can do it, I trust you.”

Luke’s words seemed to have sorted their effect on Simon because his face hardened in resolve, spine straightening. “It’s just a little riddle, right? I have solved countless of them in the past. Sure, the stakes where not as high and the pressure was-” he stopped and took a deep breath. “I can do this.”

Catarina smiled, it was a little strained but it was still a smile. Raphael rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like an insult.

Luke patted Simon on the back. “That’s my boy.” 

Alec couldn’t say anything, he could hardly breathe. He wasn’t used to feel so impotent. He was used to fight headlong into battles, to push his way through with the swing of his seraph blade and the whistle of his arrows. Now, he could do nothing but put his complete trust in Simon and hope with all of himself that he could pull it off. The price for failure was too high to be considered.

Once the decision was taken, there wasn’t much to do but call Sarth back and let him know they had made their choice. Simon stepped forward and looked expectantly at the demon, who assessed him back with a pensive twinkle in its eyes.

It didn’t waste time. “I never was, am always to be. No one ever saw me, nor ever will. And yet, I am the confidence of all to live and breathe on this terrestrial ball.” He looked a Simon. “What am I?”

Simon’s face scrunched up in concentration and for a few interminable moments, Alec feared he wasn’t going to answer. Then the vampire’s eyes light up. “Tomorrow,” He said, sounding sure of himself.

Alec held his breath in anticipation. It seemed like ages before the demon acknowledged the answer with a curt nod. “Correct,” he said. “I must say I’m impressed.” He lifted its hand up and studied its talons. “Now, the hard part. Do you think you can find a riddle I can’t solve in the blink of an eye?”

Simon looked lost in thought for several, long seconds, then he inhaled sharply and released a long breath. “I have keys but no locks. I have space but not room. You can enter but you can’t go outside.” He paused. “What am I?”

Alec had no idea what the hell Simon was talking about and he hoped with every fiber of his being that the demon wouldn’t either. Time seemed to stretch into eternity and Alec swore that he could feel every second ticking inside of his chest, rattling against his ribcage.

The demon shook its feathered head, surprise clear in its eyes. “Surprising,” it muttered under its breath, eyes bright with enjoyment. “Wonderful.” It clapped its talons in excitement. “I need to think about this. Oh yes, this is wondrous.” It walked away, shaking its head, gesturing them to go forward with a wave of its claw.

Alec felt dizzy, the relief flooding him was almost enough to bring him to his knees, as his blood seemed to sing inside his veins. He looked at Simon with a faint smile and nodded, not trusting himself to talk. When he looked at the others, he saw that they were all looking at Simon with approval. Luke was beaming, Catarina’s smile was genuine this time, even Raphael looked impressed.

Simon looked back at them awkwardly and then his face broke in a huge smile. “I did it,” he said, in awe. “I really did it.” He looked at Alec. “I bet you are glad you brought me along now.”

Alec snorted. “Don’t push it,” he said but his tone was light. He swallowed. “Thank you.”

“You are welcome but we need to hurry up.” Simon looked at where the demon paced a few feet from them. “I’m pretty sure it can’t solve that but you never know.”

Alec sobered, straightening his posture. “Right,” he said, turning back and walking quickly toward the stone arch. “Let’s go.”

They walked through the arch in nervous anticipation, looking at the long stone hallway leading to what looked like a small cave carved in dark red rock several feet away from them. The light was dim, the only source of illumination were the small torches mounted on the walls, flames dancing eerily from each of them. Shadows seemed to surround them, coming from all the nooks and crannies marring the stone wall. Alec shivered when a hot wind gushed over him, quickening his pace to shake away the uneasiness.

Only when they were well out of earshot from the demon, he turned to Simon. “What was that? The riddle, I mean.”

Simon fidgeted, looking a little uncomfortable. “I cheated,” he whispered, as if he was afraid the demon would hear him. At Alec’s arched eyebrow, he went on in the same low voice. “You know, the answer is keyboard. I figured that if Sarth was trapped here for centuries, he wouldn’t have any idea about computers.” He looked nervously behind his shoulders. “Of course, there was still the chance he would be somewhat omniscient but I took the risk.”

Alec wouldn’t have been able to come up with something like that, not under that kind of pressure, and he was really impressed with the vampire. Judging by the looks the others sent their way, they were as impressed as him.

“Well done,” he said, meaning it.

Simon just nodded, looking like a kid who had gained unlimited access to a candy store. Alec couldn’t really blame him. He had all the right to be pleased with himself. If they made out of that damned place alive, he was going to build a fucking monument for Simon Lewis.

After that they walked in silence and Alec felt anticipation sucking away all the air from his lungs with every careful step, the thought of finally be able to see Magnus again almost too much to handle. They approached the small opening in the wall and Alec could feel his own heart trying to hammer its way out of his chest, sweat starting to form a thin sheen all over his body.

He turned around and signaled to Catarina to join him, then looked at the others. “Guard the entrance,” he whispered.

The three men nodded and Alec started to walk slowly toward the opening, Catarina a few steps back. They held their breath as they walked through the only thing separating them from their goal.

Through the only barrier separating Alec from Magnus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The riddles are not mine, I spent a bit of time researching them and I choose the ones I thought would fit better.  
> We're almost there, bear with me. :)


	8. Ties That Bind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec finds Magnus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, I'm back with the new chapter. Only three chapters left after this (I tweaked it again).

Alec walked slowly, Catarina just behind him. They went through the door and found themselves in a small, circular cave. Alec had only the time to realize that the walls were a dark red, his attention immediately snapping to the figure in front of him.

When his eyes landed on Magnus, he felt something hard crash inside his chest, something heavy take a hold of his lungs and _squeeze_ until he thought he wouldn’t be able to breathe ever again.

Magnus was against the wall, glowing silver bracelets keeping him pinned to the hard stone. A small leather band around his neck kept in place a horrible fork-like tool, both of its sharp ends placed against his skin, one under his chin, the other between his collarbones. It was keeping his head up at an unnatural angle and preventing him from resting his chin down, effectively keeping him from sleeping. Magnus was wearing what was left of his tattered pants and Alec’s heart clenched painfully at the sight of the bruises and cuts all over his bare chest and his arms. His eyes were closed and every ragged breath seemed to shake painfully his whole body.

Raw agony filled Alec at the sight, immediately followed by a burning fury toward who had dared to hurt Magnus like that. He barely registered the broken inhale of breath coming from behind and he jolted as a spark of magic flew past him, hitting the collar around Magnus’ neck and sending the metal tool clattering to the floor. Magnus’ head sagged, chin leaning against his chest but the warlock kept his eyes closed.

A new wave of fury filled Alec at seeing Magnus look so defeated. Alec forced it back, feeling sick to his stomach, snapping his mouth shut to prevent himself from roaring in anger. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself until he could trust himself to speak without raising his voice.

“Magnus,” he whispered.

Magnus’ head snapped up and the ache in Alec’s chest reached new levels as he took in the pain etched in his face. There were dark circles under his eyes, hunger had hollowed out his cheeks, his lips were chipped, his grimy hair plastered over his forehead. He was still the most beautiful thing Alec had ever seen.

Magnus swallowed hard, blinked a few times and Alec saw the muscles of his throat work as he tried to speak. “No.” It was nothing more than a whisper. “You can’t be here.” Magnus’ voice was so broken that Alec could swear he was able to hear fragments of words scattering on the floor at their feet. Panic and desperation were shining in his eyes. Then he let out a long sigh and relaxed against the restraint with a weak chuckle. It was a bitter, ugly sound and Alec’s heart broke all over again. “Oh, I see,” Magnus rasped. “We have moved past the physical torment then.” He paused to drag in a ragged breath. “How…cruel.”

Alec felt the tears that he had been trying to hold in, fall at the resignation in the warlock’s voice. “Magnus,” he repeated. “it’s me, Alec.”

“I won’t give you what you want, Father.” His voice was rough but Alec could hear the determination in there. “Go ahead and give me your worst.”

Alec heard a quiet sob from the left and Magnus must have heard it too because his head snapped to the side, eyes widening as he took in the other person in the room. He slowly turned his gaze back to Alec. Fatigue and pain had taken their toll but Magnus’ eyes were as bright and expressive as ever as he looked at him.

This time the sob came from his own throat, Alec realized. He started slowly to approach, Magnus’ eyes following each of his steps, every movement. Alec stopped just a few steps away. “Magnus,” he said, as tears flowed freely down his face. “It’s me.”

“Alexander?” It was a broken, disbelieving whisper, as if Alec was the last person Magnus wanted there but at the same time he couldn’t hide the hope shining in his golden eyes.

Alec reached out, chest hurting at Magnus' flinch, and he delicately cupped Magnus’ cheek with his hand. He exhaled a breath he wasn’t aware he had been holding when Magnus closed his eyes, leaning into the touch with a shaky sigh. “It’s really me.”

Catarina cleared gently her throat, walking toward them. “I’m loathe to interrupt but we really need to go now.” Her voice was very soft. “Please step back, Alec.”

Every fiber of Alec’s being surged in refusal at the thought of stepping away from Magnus but he forced himself to step back, eyes never leaving Magnus’. “I’m right here.”

Magnus’ eyes trailed from Alec to Catarina. “Cat,” he murmured.

“Hush, you stupid, old fool.” The softness in her tone denied her harsh words. “Let me get to work.” She started to wave her hands against the bonds keeping Magnus in place, chanting under her breath and scowling when they didn’t bulge, the bracelets around Magnus’ wrists glowing a bright blue as if in warning. “This is not working,” she said, frustration clear in her voice. She tried again, and again, and again, always with the same result. Then she stepped closer and studied the bracelets intently, eyes widening in realization. “No,” she breathed. “It can’t be.”

Icy tendrils of panic wrapped around Alec’s heart, working their way to his lungs. “What is it?”

“I thought-“ It was the first time Alec had felt her voice waver and a sliver of anxiety ran through his spine. “I thought all of them were destroyed. It’s been centuries since I’ve seen a pair of those.” She ran a hand through her hair in a frustrated gesture. “This kind of magic is known as _Artissimum Vinculum_.”

Magnus’ sharp intake of breath confirmed to Alec that it was a serious matter indeed. “Catarina.” His voice was urgent. “ _Please_. You need to go. Both of you.”

A thousand thoughts went through Alec’s head, one more terrible than the other. Among the sea of despair there was only one thought firm in the forefront of his mind: he wouldn’t leave. Not again. Not without Magnus.

“What are you talking about?” he said. “I’m not going anywhere.” He crossed his arms over his chest and planted his feet firmly on the floor, as if to show them he wasn’t going to move.

Magnus ignored him, stare fixed on Catarina, eyes pleading. “Cat, please.”

Catarina shook slightly her head, eyes bright. “I’m sorry, Magnus.” She sent an apologetic glance at him. “He needs to know. He needs the chance to choose for himself.” She turned her piercing gaze toward Alec. “Tell me, Alec.” Her voice was very serious. “What would you be willing to do to bring him back?” She jutted her head sharply, chin pointing toward Magnus.

Alec had a strange sense of déjà-vu, he was suddenly reminded of sitting in her living room while the woman asked him the same question. The question was the same but her eyes held a different kind of intensity. They seemed to look past Alec’s own, boring straight into his soul. Alec didn’t even have to think about it, the answer hadn’t changed, if possible he was more certain than ever. He had literally walked through the gates of hell to get Magnus back, there was nothing that could prevent him from doing just that. Not when he was so close. Alec looked at her straight in the eye, hoping his eyes could convey the sincerity of his answer.

When he spoke, there wasn’t a trace of hesitation in his voice. “Anything.”

His answer hung in the air for a few long moments and Alec held his breath, pinned under Catarina’s intense stare. Her eyes softened and she nodded once, the corners of her lips lifting up in a small smile. They had come very far, Alec thought. He still remembered the coldness in her eyes as she had said to him without half-terms that he was the one responsible for Magnus’ disappearance. That still stood true but now Alec thought that he had proven himself and he was sure Catarina had forgiven him, he was sure she even _liked_ him.

“Then you need to know.” Her voice was soft.

“Alexander, please.” Magnus’ voice was pleading. “Don’t listen to her. It’s not worth it.” Alec could hear the _I’m not worth it_ as if he had said it out loud.

He looked straight at Magnus. “Let me be the judge of that.” Then he turned expectantly toward Catarina. “What is it?”

Magnus sagged against the bonds in defeat and Catarina sent him another apologetic glance, before giving her attention to Alec. “The bracelets were created almost nine centuries ago by a dark warlock whose name was forgotten and never uttered again. Driven to madness by unrequited love, he found a mean to bind the object of his affections to him, for eternity. It was said that the girl lived in misery for almost a century, before losing her mind and taking her own life.” She paused and took a deep breath. “Later, other warlocks have experimented with this kind of bond, tweaking it to serve their purposes. Before they were outlawed and destroyed, they were widely used to bind people to a place, through another individual who served as an anchor for the spell. This kind of enchantment is permanent and indissoluble. The victim can be released only by the caster or in the eventuality of the caster’s death.”

Alec felt despair fill every cell of his body. Magnus was bound to that horrible place and Alec had no doubt Asmodeus had been the one casting the spell. Homicidal fury took hold of him, he had never met the Greater Demon but in that moment he felt like he had never hated someone with the same intensity, ever. He was aware that Greater Demons couldn’t be killed by human means and he didn’t lie to himself, he wouldn’t hold a candle against Asmodeus.

But if there was one thing Alec was sure of, it was that he was not leaving. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Alexand-“

“There is a way,” Catarina interrupted Magnus’ attempt at speaking. “This kind of spell can’t be broken but it can be transferred. Only a powerful warlock could perform the incantation and I believe I could be able to do it.” She paused and put her hand over Alec’s arm. “But I will need your cooperation.”

And Alec would give anything. “Tell me what I have to do.”

Magnus struggled against his bonds. “Cat, this is insane.”

“You know what is insane?” Alec said in a low voice. “You trying to take away from me the possibility to choose for myself.”

“Magnus, he’s right,” Catarina interjected. “Let me finish.” She sent one last warning glance to Magnus. “It is rather simple. In performing the incantation, I will transfer the bond from Asmodeus to you.”

Alec gasped. _Was that it?_ “Let me get this straight,” he said, not daring to hope. “You’ll basically bind us together. As in some kind of magical marriage?”

“After a fashion,” she said. “As the only person ever subjected to this kind of spell killed herself, we have no way to know the full effects of the bond. It is possible that it will affect your life span or Magnus’ but it is possible that nothing will change, except you’ll be magically bound for life. Take the time to think about it because if the spell works, there is no going back.”

The notion that Alec had to think about it was so ridiculous that he could have laughed. “Please, give us a minute.” He smiled as Catarina nodded and stepped out of the room.

Once they were alone in the room, Alec walked to Magnus, before driving straight to the point. “Do you not want it?”

Magnus blinked once, eyes bright. “It is not that.”

“Then what is it?” Alec urged.

“Alexander.” The desperation in Magnus’ voice hit him like a blow in the stomach. “You are still so young…”

And Alec understood. Magnus didn’t want Alec to commit to something he might regret later. The ridiculousness of it would have been comic, if Alec wasn’t one second away from crying again. “Look at me,” he said, voice thick with emotion. “ _Look at me_.”

Magnus swallowed hard and raised his head up with effort, gaze locking with Alec’s.

“Magnus.” Alec had never been good with words but he needed to get this right, he couldn’t afford not to. “Listen to me. Do you think I could bear to spend one more second apart from you?” he cupped Magnus’ face. “Do you really believe that spending the rest of my life with you would be a hardship for me?” he paused to place a kiss on Magnus’ forehead, uncaring of the blood and grime. “There isn’t _anything_ in the world I want more than that.”

Magnus stared at him for several long seconds, eyes bright with unshed tears, mouth parting slightly in shock. He swallowed hard. “Alexander, I-“

“Please, Magnus.” Alec brushed his thumb over his cheekbone. “Living up there without you was the hardest thing I had to do.”

Magnus exhaled, then nodded jerkily. “Okay,” he whispered. “But I expect a proper proposal once we get out of here.”

Alec let out a startled, watery laugh, warmth spreading in his chest at the Magnus' obvious attempt to lighten the mood. “You have a deal.” He turned half-way back, hand never leaving Magnus’s face. “Catarina,” he called.

Catarina walked back in the cave, looking at them in question, worry clearly written all over her face. “Have you made your choice?”

Alec turned toward her, unable to stop the grin forming on his face. “We’re ready.”

Surprise flashed for a second over her face, before she grinned back at him, then she was all business. “Place your left wrist over his right one.” She waited for Alec to obey before approaching. “This might hurt a little.”

“Do it.” Alec braced himself as Catarina started to chant in a low voice.

Blue sparks started to form at her fingertips, and Alec watched in fascination as the magic surged forward and wrapped around their joint wrists. The bracelet glowed light blue before gradually turning into a bright red. Alec waited, holding his breath, fearing that it wasn’t going to work. Nothing happened for a while but, as Alec started to despair, the metal abruptly became hot against his skin, heat increasing until Alec had to close his eyes and grit his teeth to keep himself from screaming in pain. The burn intensified until it felt like the metal was melting over his skin and he cracked one eye open, watching as the bracelet slowly started to sink into his flesh, until it disappeared altogether, leaving behind only what looked like a faded tattoo.

Alec had imagined some earth-shattering moment, some sort of tangible proof that they were bound together. He had imagined to feel Magnus’ essence right alongside of his own and he was a little disappointed when nothing happened except for a brief buzz as the magic settled. Then he shrugged. Alec had always felt like Magnus’ essence had been intertwined with his own. He barely had the time to notice a similar tattoo forming on Magnus’ wrist, the one still pinned to the wall, before the bonds dissolved and he felt Magnus’ weight crashing over him.

The feeling of holding Magnus in his arms again after all the pain and heartbreak was enough to bring him to his knees, bringing Magnus down with him. Magnus held onto him as if Alec was the only thing anchoring him to reality and Alec wouldn’t have minded to be his anchor for all of eternity. “I’ve got you,” he whispered against Magnus' hair.

Magnus held him tighter. “ _God_ , Alexander,” he said, voice shaking. “I’m so sorry.”

 _What?_ Alec thought. “What?”

“The things I said to you. I-“

“It’s okay.” he held Magnus closer. “I get it, you were protecting me.”

“It killed me, Alexander,” Magnus murmured against his chest. “Leaving you behind killed me.”

“I know. I'm here now.” Alec brushed his hand down Magnus’ back in a delicate caress. “You can tell me all about it later. Now, let’s get out of here.”

Alec pulled reluctantly back, stood and helped Magnus up, holding him upright against his side, one arm around his waist. He couldn’t help himself, he leaned forward and placed a small, soft kiss on Magnus’ lips. It was just a peck, a brush of the lips but to Alec felt like he was tasting happiness after choking on pain for so long.

Catarina cleared her throat softly, bringing Alec back to the present. She looked tired and Alec felt guilty about not giving a thought about her after she had performed the incantation. He looked at her earnestly, hoping she would understand how much Alec was grateful for all her help.

“I owe you.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” she said, getting closer. “I don’t have much magic left but…” she trailed off, waving her hands in Magnus’ direction, magic flowing over his body and healing the worst of his injuries. “It should be easier to get him out if he’s not going to pass out.” she swayed a little on her feet but steadied herself. “We need to go.”

They held Magnus upright, one on each side of him and slowly made their way out of the cave. Raphael, Luke, and Simon were still guarding the entrance, anxious expressions on their faces relaxing a little as they saw them approach. Magnus lost his footing but Alec had a firm hold on his waist and they made it to the group without much trouble.

As soon as Magnus noticed the three men, he went still and Alec saw his eyes fill with tears, emotion flashing quickly over his worn face. “I-“ he swallowed, unable to go on.

“Please, save the sentimentalism.” The affection in Raphael’s eyes belied his sarcasm. “We still have that chess match to finish. I couldn’t let you have the upper hand, could I?”

“What Raphael meant to say,” Luke said, “Is that we are really happy to have our friend back.”

Simon nodded eagerly. “We missed you so much. Well, Alec missed you the most but that’s not really a surprise, is it? But that's not the point. What I was trying to say is that we were like the Merry Men without their Robin Hood and we-“ he seemed to realize he was babbling and stopped with a sheepish smile.

Magnus let of a huffed chuckle and Alec thought his heart could stop right then, only from the sound of Magnus’ weak laugh. The moment was broken when Catarina cleared her throat and said they needed go on. There was a brief pause when Simon and Luke stopped to exchange a few words and the werewolf walked over the small spider-like demon still writhing on the floor, grabbing it from what was left of one of his legs and dragging it along with them. Alec raised up an eyebrow in question but Luke just shook his head and walked past them.

The walk back was slow but uneventful. The long staircase was the worst because they had to carry Magnus up, taking a few breaks to rest along the way. At last, Alec saw the red glow at the top, just a few steps away but before he could let out a relieved breath, a shadow started to form in front of them, blocking their passage. Magnus went very still and Alec realized why, when a man stepped out of it and sneered at them from above, yellow cat eyes gleaming in the darkness.

“Well, well, well,” Asmodeus said. “What do we have here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I went with the magical bond trope and I'm not sorry. :) 
> 
> Thank you for reading. :)


	9. Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group faces Asmodeus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, I'm back with another chapter. Next one on Wednesday. I think we'll be done with the fic by Friday. :)

Alec’s body went cold all over and he took a step back, his grip around Magnus tightening fiercely. He was torn between laughing in disbelief and crying in despair. They had almost made it, they were almost there, just a few steps away from freedom. Magnus struggled weakly in his grasp but Alec didn’t let him go, the last thing he needed was a repeat performance of what had happened in the cave a few feet above them. Raw fury filled him as he looked upon Asmodeus’ sneering face.

“Step away,” he snarled, feeling the demon inside his chest - _Was it guilt? Was it hope?_ \- straining to break free, clawing through his ribcage, longing to rip and shred and tear.

“I’m touched.” The Greater Demon didn’t seem touched in the least. “Two Children of the Night, a Child of the Moon, a Child of Lilith, and a Nephilim working together to rescue my beloved son?” The amusement on his voice made Alec’s blood boil. “I thought I wouldn’t live to see the day.” He looked Alec up and down, gaze landing on the faded tattoo on his left wrist, distaste clearly evident on his face. “Tell me, son,” he said, turning to Magnus. “Is _this_ the reason you have been so obstinate to defy me? A filthy Nephilim?”

“Leave him out of it.” Magnus managed to break free from Alec’s hold but Alec pushed him back, placing himself between the two men in a protective stance.

Asmodeus let out an amused chuckle. “Oh, son. He could have his use,” he said, a calculating look in his eyes. “I see now the errors of my way. I’ve tried so hard to break you that I’ve failed to consider other possibilities. For instance…” he trailed off and waved his hand in Alec’s direction.

Alec couldn’t keep in the hoarse scream as agony cursed through his whole body, each of his nerve endings on fire. He dropped to his knees, trying to breathe through the excruciating pain, fingernails digging into the palms of his hands and drawing blood. He barely heard Magnus’ low voice and his hissed “You have made a huge mistake.”

The pain stopped as abruptly as it had come and Alec lay there, panting hard, body shaking with the aftershocks of the horrible torture. He took a few seconds to regain control of his limbs and turned around to see Magnus on his knees, chest heaving with effort, gritted teeth, hands raised high above himself, his magic pinning Asmodeus on the spot.

Magnus glanced once toward Alec and the others. “ _Go_.”

Several thoughts swirled in Alec’s head, none of them featuring going away and leaving Magnus there again. All his training started to kick in and several strategies ran through his mind in a few seconds. He discarded several of them before he heard Sebastian, no _Johnathan’s_ voice in his head.

_The only way to banish a Greater Demon is to puncture his demonic core. In corporeal form it is between the T8 and T9 vertebrae. But it’s not that simple, the core is about the size of a pea._

He had done it once, hadn’t he? The bow was in his hands even before he finished the thought, arrow notched and ready to fly. Technically they were still in Edom but it was a pocket dimension, there was the possibility that Asmodeus would be banished out of it. That would give them the time to climb the last steps and get the hell out of there before the Greater Demon would have the time to materialize again. He took a deep breath and aimed, sending a silent prayer to the Angel.

Shock and surprise were clearly visible on Asmodeus’ face as the arrow pierced straight through his demonic core, and Alec let out a relieved breath as he vanished into thin air. He ignored the pain still cursing through his body and stood quickly, running toward Magnus, just in time to catch him before he hit the ground as he passed out.

Alec quickly turned toward the others, gathering his boyfriend in his arms and standing again. “Run.”

They didn’t need to be told twice. As if on cue they all started to run up the last steps and Alec followed quickly, noticing that Luke was still dragging the spider-demon, its leg still held firmly in his grasp. They managed to climb through the opening and they found themselves inside the cursed cave where all of it had started. Not trusting his voice, Alec gestured them to move, to get out of the cave, afraid the ground would open again and swallow them back in.

Alec ran as fast as he could, holding Magnus still firmly in his arms, feeling the fresh night breeze over his face and going on and on until he reached the small cluster of trees on the further end of the clearing. Only then he dropped on the ground, taking Magnus down with him, never noticing the people running alongside them or the people running toward them and calling his name from a distance.

He looked at his companions and it took just a moment to notice Luke’s absence. “Where’s Luke?”

Simon sent him a knowing smile, pointing toward the cave. “Just watch.”

Alec squinted in the darkness, eyes widening in realization as he saw Luke standing just outside the entrance of the cave, a blade raised up in the air, the spider-demon writhing in front of him barely within the threshold. Luke brought his arm down in a swift move once, twice, thrice and, as the cave walls started to tremble, he turned around, shifted in wolf form and ran quickly toward them.

Alec felt a sort of vindictive satisfaction as the mountain started to shake, before crumbling with a loud boom, never to harm anyone else again.

Just a few feet away from them, the wolf shifted back into Luke, who approached them with a grin. “ _As their spirits fed the prison, it was bound to crumble if they died,_ ” he recited smugly. “I’ve done my homework.”

Alec let out a small laugh. “Well done. I’m impressed.”

Luke’s grin got bigger. “I should say the same to you. What you did it in there,” he gestured toward the cave. “We wouldn’t have made it out of there without you.”

“Duuude.” Simon looked at him in awe. “That was awesome.”

Alec smiled fondly. “You weren’t that bad yourself in there.” He looked at all of them, making sure to keep eye contact briefly with everyone. “Actually, all of you were great. Congratulations on a mission well done. Thank you.” He looked down a Magnus, still passed out in his arms but breathing, and alive, and _with him_. “We need to take him home.”

Catarina looked apologetic. “I have very little magic left and I don’t think I will be able to create a portal, not if I want to heal him later,” she said. “And that’s my priority right now.”

Alec could relate. “Then we need to call for help.”

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” Raphael interjected. “Look,” he said, pointing to a spot on their right.

Alec followed Raphael’s gaze and saw a group of people running toward them. As they approached, Alec was able to make out Izzy’s slender figure, Clary’s red hair, Jace’s bulky build, and the horned figure of a warlock among them.

Izzy was the first to approach them. “Alec!” she threw herself straight into him, almost knocking him to the ground in a fierce hug, made awkward by Magnus’ body still clutched in his arms. “You did it! Oh my God, you did it!”

“Yeah,” he breathed, realization hitting him hard. “We really did it.” He pulled back gently. “How did you know…?”

“The people standing guard noticed a commotion, heard some screaming. They had instruction to send us a fire message should anything change.” Then she looked down at Magnus. “How is he?”

Alec shrugged. “Drained. He was in a very bad shape and he depleted his magic in the attempt to get us to safety.”

Izzy nodded, face frozen in a mixture of relief and sadness. “And how are you, brother?”

Alec thought about it. How was he? He had Magnus back, that was all that mattered. “I’ll be good now.”

She just smiled and squeezed his shoulder, eyes bright.

Soon the others joined them and for a few seconds there were hugs exchanged, greetings shouted, cheers resounding in the air, hands clapping backs in congratulations. Alec looked at the people around him with a small smile. If he had gotten Magnus back, it was thanks to all of them. Each one of them had played their part. Then the thought of Magnus brought him back to reality.

He called to the warlock. “Could you open a portal to Magnus’ loft?”

The warlock nodded curtly, before turning and waving his hands, a shimmering portal appearing just in front of him. “Here you go,” he said, stepping away.

Alec shifted Magnus in his arms and stood carefully, thanked the warlock, promised to his siblings that he would be in touch soon, and walked into the portal after Catarina, Raphael, and Luke.

 _Home_ , Alec thought as he stepped out of the portal in their living room. A thin sheen of dust covered every surface but everything was just like Alec remembered it. He took in the sight of the table still set from their last breakfast together when they had to leave in a hurry for the Institute, his own boots just beside the door, Magnus’ trinkets all over the room, the colorful blanked thrown carelessly over the couch, Magnus’ favorite jacket hanging from the hook on the wall. He took in the familiar smell of the place, the smell that he associated with home, with Magnus. The emotion was so strong he felt a wave of dizziness crash over him and if it wasn’t from Luke’s strong grip on his forearm he would have crashed to the floor, bringing Magnus down with him.

They made their way in silence to the bedroom and Alec put Magnus down gently on the bed, vaguely noticing their sleep clothes thrown over the plush armchair, left there from their last time together. He sank on the bed next to Magnus with a sigh, shifting closer to him, needing the contact as a reminder that he was really there, that he wouldn’t disappear if Alec as much as blinked.

Catrina cleared her throat and looked pointedly at all of them. “Out. _Now_.” Her eyes softened as Alec tightened his grip on Magnus and jutted his chin out, as if to dare her to send him away. “You can stay.”

Alec nodded, thankful that he didn’t have to muster up the energy to fight the woman and waved at Luke and Raphael, who left after saying their goodbyes and promising to get in touch soon.

Catarina send him an apologetic glance. “You have to step back a little.”

It took all Alec had to step away from Magnus but he understood that Catarina needed the space to work her magic. He stood slowly, hovering right beside the bed, hands twitching at his sides with the need to touch his boyfriend again. He watched in silence as Catarina’s magic glowed around Magnus’ body, sliding over his flesh and seeping inside his wounds, cut skin kitting back together and dark bruises fading slowly. At another wave of her hand, all the blood and the grime vanished from Magnus’ body and the tattered pants were gone, replaced by soft-looking sweatpants.

Catarina staggered back, wiping sweat off her forehead. “Go take a shower,” she said, voice shaking a little. “I’ll stay with him.”

Alec wanted to protest but he was filthy, after all. He could still feel the dust clinging to his skin, clogging his nose, the dirt under his fingernails. The sweat plastering his hair to his forehead. He sighed. “Okay.”

He grabbed a fresh set of clothes, walked quickly to the bathroom, made short work of his dirty clothes, and stepped into the shower. The hot water felt heavenly over his stiff muscles but he showered quickly, rubbing a spot until it was clean and moving straight to another one. Soon he was out of the shower and into clean clothes, heading back toward the bedroom.

Catarina stood from the armchair and walked toward him. “I should go now,” she said, fatigue etched over her features. “Take care of him. I’ll be back soon to check on him.”

“I will.” Alec sent a tired smile her way. “I- Thank you for all you have done.”

To his surprise her eyes filled with tears. “None of it would have been possible without your determination.” She hugged him briefly. “I’ll see myself out.” With that she turned and walked out of the bedroom.

After a few seconds, Alec heard the soft click of the entrance door snapping closed.

He walked to the bed and sank down slowly, careful not to jostle Magnus too much. He laid down beside him, shifting close and wrapping a protective arm over him, before pulling the covers over both of them. He laid there in silence for a long time, watching the rise and fall of Magnus’ chest, afraid to close his eyes, to fall asleep and wake up to find out it had been just a dream.

In that moment, Alec felt like his life was split in two separate periods: life without Magnus and life with Magnus. He thought about his life before meeting Magnus. Magnus had brought emotions in Alec’s existence, he had brought colors. Alec had been living his life one bleak day after another, he had been living in black and white, until Magnus had come along and had introduced him to different shades. He had resigned himself to the prospect of living a life of lies, to put his duty before his personal happiness but Magnus had coaxed him out of his shell with his flirty jokes and his sparkly personality.

In the end, choosing Magnus over his duty had been the best choice Alec had ever made. Since then, Magnus had spent all of his energies trying to push back the shades of black and white from Alec’s life, replacing them with a muted rainbow.

When Magnus had been taken away from him, all the bright colors had vanished, leaving behind only a pitch-black pit of despair, without a hint of white to mitigate its darkness. Now he had his boyfriend back but he was suffering and Alec’s heart ached for him, even as a sliver of light made its way through the darkness, turning everything slowly to grey.

He hugged Magnus closer, vowing to himself that he would do anything in his power to help him heal.

Magnus had brought colors in Alec’s life, now it was time for Alec to give some of those colors back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very touched by all of the support I'm getting. Again, Thank you so much. :)


	10. Healing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec and Magnus help each other heal.

Magnus came to with a faint headache. He tried to open his eyes but he couldn’t muster the energy to do it. His body wasn’t in any pain for the first time in what felt like ages but he felt a bone-deep exhaustion pinning him in place. He was vaguely aware that he should have been remembering something important but his mind felt fuzzy, his body drained. He slipped back to sleep with a sigh.

When he came to for the second time he felt marginally better but his limbs felt so heavy, his body so relaxed. Something in his mind nagged him to wake up but the hand running through his hair felt so nice, the warmth of the body next to him was so soothing. He focused on those feelings and let unconsciousness claim him again.

The third time there were noises. He tried to focus on them but his mind was still so foggy he could only distinguish fragmented words.

_…nutritive potion?_

_Two whole days…_

_….no visible injury_

_…drained_

_…more rest…_

_Rest_. Yes, resting sounded so good. He wished those people would stop talking and would just let him sleep but then a hand smoothed out the hair from his forehead and lingered over his scalp and it was enough to shut off everything else.

When he came to for the fourth time he felt lucid. His eyes snapped open as everything crashed over him. Leaving Alexander, the horrible torture, the hopelessness, the despair. Pain threatened to pull him apart at the seams but then he remembered Alec’s face, the ritual, the rescue, the whistle of an arrow. Everything started to knit itself back together. He took a deep, shuddery breath and turned around with some effort, limbs stiff from lack of use.

Magnus’ eyes filled with tears as he took in the sight of Alec sleeping next to him, the familiarity of his surroundings. He hadn’t thought he would be able to experience it again. He had honestly thought he would petrify in that cave, that he would die without laying his eyes on his boyfriend ever again. He had been ready to die. He would have never imagined to get out of that place alive, that someone would care about him that much to breach through hell to get him back. The thought that Alec hadn’t been alone, that many people had worked together to rescue him was almost too much to bear.

A dizzying wave of affection for his friends, but especially for the man next to him threatened to overwhelm him. He loved Alexander without reservations, something he thought he could never do again. He had once thought that Camille had been the love of his life, that he couldn’t possibly find love again after he had lost her. When he had met Alec and he had started to realize he was harboring feelings for the man, he had been _terrified_. Loving someone had always brought him pain and misery in the long run. People always took, and took, and took from him, giving back only a little, always leaving him broken and unable to put all the pieces back together in the right way. But Alec, awkward, stuttering Alec with his sweet smile and his disarming innocence had given all of himself to Magnus. He had cherished all of his broken pieces and handed him the glue to put himself back together again. And Magnus’ heart had started to heal.

A small whimper brought him out of his musings and his head snapped to the side. Alec’s face was set in a pained frown, low whimpers coming out of his parted lips, sweat beading over his temple. He reached out a hand to smooth the wrinkles out of Alec’s forehead, gasping at the feeling, skin burning against his hand like an iron brand.

“ _Magnus_.” Alec’s eyes snapped open at the touch, they were panic-filled eyes and Magnus’ chest tightened at the sight.

“I’m here,” he murmured, stroking Alec’s hair. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Magnus could pinpoint the exact moment Alec was back to reality. Relief replaced the panic in his eyes and he threw himself into Magnus’ arms. “You’re awake.” Was breathed against his neck.

His arms tightened around his Alexander. “I am,” he whispered. “How long was I out?”

Alec let out a shaking breath against his skin. “Three days,” he answered. “Catarina said you needed to replenish your magic but you wouldn’t wake up. I thought-I thought…”

Three days. He must have really been drained but sleep had worked miracles. He still felt tired but he could feel the low hum of magic buzzing under his skin, ready to be called upon with a snap of his fingers. He hadn’t realized how much his magic was a part of him until he had lost the possibility to use it, until it had been taken away in the worst possible way. Now he felt complete again, he felt almost like himself again. Almost.

Magnus was so lost in thought that he had forgotten he was supposed to say something. He almost didn’t hear Alec’s low whisper.

“I’m sorry.”

He frowned. “What are you sorry for?”

“It was my fault.” It was said with such resignation, as if Alec had repeated it over and over again in his mind, up to the point it had become truth. “I should have been faster, I should have never brought you-“

Magnus couldn’t allow him to finish that sentence. “Stop right there,” he said, fiercely. “Listen to me, Alexander. None of this was your fault. If I hadn’t come along, Asmodeus would have found another way. If you had been with me when the ground shifted, you would be dead now and I would still be there. It was _not_ your fault. Do you understand me?”

Alec didn’t reply but he pressed closer to him, muffling a small sob against his skin. Magnus pulled him away gently, placing a finger under his chin to lift his head up. Only when he was staring straight at Alec's eyes, he spoke again.

”Do you understand me?” he repeated. “You saved me, Alexander.” He thought about fighting Alec’s choice to bind himself to him. “Even from myself.”

Alec’s eyes softened. He nodded once, Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. He looked at Magnus’ lips, then licked his own. When he raised his gaze up, there was a question in his eyes. Magnus thought that a verbal answer was a useless waste of time so he closed the distance and pressed his lips against Alec’s. The Shadowhunter made a little sound on the back of his throat and kissed him back, softly at first, then fiercely, his mouth devouring Magnus’. And how Magnus had missed the taste of Alec’s lips, the familiar brush of Alec’s tongue against his own, the feel of Alec’s hands cupping the back of his head.

They had still many things to discuss, many issues to solve. Magnus was aware of that but he couldn’t be bothered to think about anything. Not when the kiss tasted like forgiveness.

**

For the first time in several days, the loft was quiet. There was no coming and going of concerned friends, no chit-chat, no need to control his every word and move. Alec was sleeping peacefully on the couch, book fallen from his hands to the floor and Magnus smiled at the sight.

During the last week they had been researching the nature of their new bond but so far, nothing had come up. They didn’t feel any difference, it felt like the bond was there to begin with and Magnus liked to think that it had been. But then, he had always been a hopeless romantic, hadn’t he?

Magnus was recovering. They both were. They were still far from completely okay but he thought they were getting there. More than once Magnus had woken up in the middle of the night, nightmares of the horrible torture playing in his mind. Alec had always been there with him, anchoring him, bringing him back to reality. Magnus had done the same every time Alec had woken up screaming his name. The nightmares were starting to get fewer and fewer now and Magnus was hopeful they would abate soon.

All of their friends had been supporting. They often checked on them but stepped back when it was clear they wanted to be left alone. Catarina had been their rock. She had spent many evenings researching with them, bringing them new books, ordering them to stop and eat, to stop and rest. To stop and just relax.

They had gathered together for dinner once, sharing tales of their journey through the Claustrum. Magnus could see that they had tried to embellish the story, to make it sound more cheerful for his sake but he didn’t call them on it. It was amazing to see a group of such different people getting along, laughing and chatting together. Sometimes Magnus could swear he had seen Alec looking fondly at Simon, Catarina smiling at Alec, Raphael trying to tone down his grouchiness.

They were friends, Magnus realized. It was the sort of friendship born from a shared experience, the sort of companionship forged by a common goal. To think that he had been that common goal was enough to make his mind reel, to bring tears to his eyes. It was a nice feeling, knowing that there were people who cared for him like that.

Magnus walked toward the small bar, thinking that he could use a drink. His fingers shook as he poured the whisky in the small glass, a reminder that he still had a little more to go to get back to normal. He sighed and closed the bottle with his magic, relishing the feeling as it seeped out of his hands. It was silly, he knew, but lately he had been using his magic to complete the smallest tasks, as if to remind himself that it was there, that it hadn’t been taken away.

He walked to the couch and settled down, careful not to wake Alec up. He sipped his drink in silence, enjoying the quiet, the steady presence of Alexander beside him. After a while Alec started to stir, then stretched, eyes blinking open. His mouth stretched on a warm smile as he saw Magnus.

“Hey.” His voice was rough from sleep.

Magnus felt the corners of his own mouth lifting up in an answering smile. “Hey yourself,” he said, shifting closer to Alec.

They kissed lazily, then held each other for a long time, just basking in each other’s presence and enjoying the closeness, the warmth. 

The quiet was broken by the rumbling of Alec’s stomach.

“Someone is hungry,” Magnus said with a small chuckle. “Dinner?”

“Yeah,” Alec said with a bashful grin. “I could eat.”

They ate in companionable silence, sharing only a few words, a few soft touches. Sometimes, it was what Magnus needed. After spending ten days underground, mostly alone with his thoughts, the world sometimes felt too bright and harsh and Alec always seemed to understand when Magnus felt the need for some quiet.

The peace was broken when a log of wood crackled loudly in the fireplace. It was abrupt, startling. It reminded Magnus of the crack of the whip through the air. He flinched, backing away from the table, vaguely aware of the clattering sound the chair made when it crashed on the floor behind him. He didn’t have too much time to panic though. Alec was immediately at his side, arms wrapping protectively around him, holding him until he felt like he wasn’t going to choke on his own breath.

 _God_ , he felt so pathetic. He was an all-powerful warlock, _for Lilith’s sake_. Still, he hadn’t lived centuries without learning that some kind of wounds took time to heal. He didn’t like it one bit but as long as Alec was there with him, he was sure he would move past it.

He took a deep breath. “Thank you.”

Alec just smiled, then pulled back and offered him his hand. “Come with me,” he said. “Let me take care of you.”

Alec led him by the hand through the living room, through the bedroom, through the bathroom. He led him to the big bathtub on the farthest corner of the room and helped him settle down on the edge, pulling back quickly only to turn on the water before kneeling down on the floor between Magnus’ legs and holding on to him.

Magnus could have used magic to fill the bathtub but Alec’s presence felt so comforting, the moment felt so precious. They waited in a words-filled silence.

When the bath was ready, Alec gently disentangled himself from Magnus and stood. He extended his hand and Magnus grabbed it, letting Alec pull him up. Alec undressed him with gentle, practical touches, fingers never lingering on his skin more than it was necessary. Magnus didn’t know if he was disappointed or grateful for it.

They hadn’t had any sex ever since he had been brought back. They had shared many kisses, they had cuddled in each other’s arms, they had showered together. Magnus could often see the desire on Alec’s eyes, a desire he was sure mirrored his own. But Alec’s hands had never strayed below Magnus’ waist, their touches had been innocent, intimate in a way sex couldn’t have been. It was like a mutual agreement, like a reminder that they had all the time in the world now. _Later,_ their eyes said.

When the last of Magnus’ clothes were laying on the floor, Alec guided him to the bathtub and helped him to get inside. Magnus sighed as the water started to soothe his muscles, melting away the stiffness of his shoulders, starting to take away some of the stress.

Alec looked at him with a pensive expression, then seemed to make up his mind and started to remove his own clothing. “Scoot forward.”

Magnus did and soon Alec was right there, a steady presence behind his back. Warm, and solid, and comforting. Magnus leaned into the strong chest with a sigh. Alec grabbed his favorite shampoo from the shelf and squirted a generous amount over his head, then Magnus let out a low moan as Alec’s fingers started to massage it into his scalp with gentle, careful touches. Alec kept rubbing the shampoo through his hair, massaging his head, his neck, wiping it gently from his earlobe and _God_ , it felt so nice. Alec’s erection pressed against Magnus’ lower back but neither of them acknowledged it, perfectly happy to be together just like that.

Alec was silent but Magnus could hear his voice as he had been screaming. Every gentle brush of his fingers said _I’m here_ , the solid pressure of his chest against Magnus’ back said _I’ve got you_ , every soft touch said _I love you_.

Magnus wasn’t used to people taking care of him but as Alec started to massage his shoulders, he leaned back into the touch with a contented sigh, hoping that Alec could hear his unvoiced _I know_ , _thank you_ , _I love you too_ just as loudly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are almost at the end. :)  
> Thank you for reading and supporting me. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	11. Coming Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title says almost anything, doesn't it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm terribly sorry for the delay in updating this chapter. I had plans yesterday and then I felt the need to dissect it and put it back together again. I'm still not 100% happy with it but I guess it will have to do.  
> This is the chapter that warrants the Explicit warning and the Smut tag, so is you are not comfortable with (very) explicit smut, I'd suggest you to skip the middle of the chapter. :)

Alec was staring at Magnus over the dessert. They were at The Cape, on their first official date since the terrible ordeal they both had gone through and they were starting to ease back into a regular routine again. Magnus had started taking a few clients, from the safety of the loft at first, then going to them on occasion. Alec had been sick with worry every time Magnus had left the loft, afraid to get Magnus out of his sight, wishing he could follow him, wishing he could protect him all the time. But Magnus needed his space, they both needed to start living again, they needed the comfort of their old routine and Alec had borne the worry in silence. He was sure Magnus knew. He could see it in the way he kissed him fiercely and held him tight every time he had to leave, in the way he smiled at him knowingly every time he got back home and Alec was up waiting for him, eyes soft and bright and holding reassurance.

Alec still hadn’t gone back to work, intending to take advantage of his month of leave in full, intending to spend as much time as possible with Magnus before their hectic schedules slid back in place. Once, he would have felt terribly guilty in placing his personal needs before his duty. That was before losing Magnus, before going through the pain and the grief. Now Alec had been given a second chance and, by the Angel, he wasn’t going to waste a minute of it.

When Magnus had proposed to go out on a date, Alec hadn’t been sure about it. He had been worried about going out in public so soon but in the end, he had realized that he had nothing to worry about. Magnus had gone all out for their date. He was dressed to kill, wearing his twinkling jewelry like an armor, his perfectly applied makeup enhancing his already striking features. Alec’s breath was taken away every time he looked at him. Magnus looked like the embodiment of power and confidence: straight shoulders, head held high, eyes sparkling. If Alec looked closely enough he could still see some of the wariness etched in the lines of his face, faint traces of pain in his eyes, the slight stiffness of his posture. But Magnus was resilient, strong, larger than life. If he had felt any unease, he hadn’t shown it. He had chatted amiably with their waiter, traded some jokes about wine and food, smiled at Alec throughout the whole evening.

Magnus looked like a painting, Alec thought. Even confined within the tight frame of past pain and fear and pierced by all the carefully crafted nails keeping it together, the image in the canvas was clear and well defined. All bright colors and bold lines but soft strokes of the brush. It was beautiful.

Alec had been trying to hold back, to take care of Magnus without expectations but it was getting harder every day, especially when his boyfriend looked like sin itself.

He put down his fork after finishing the last bit of his dessert. “What do you want to do now?” he asked. “Would you like to go for a drink? Home?”

Magnus’ hand reached over the table and rested over his own, a welcome and comforting weight. “Home sounds good.”

Alec’s heart skipped a beat at the intensity in Magnus' eyes.

**

They landed in their living room, still holding hands, giggling at a joke Magnus had cracked just before stepping through the portal and for the first time in three weeks, Alec felt truly happy. He had been missing this so much. The lightness of their interactions, the easy smiles, the way Magnus’ laugh seemed to rumble inside his own chest. He turned toward his boyfriend and he was startled as Magnus grabbed him by the shoulders and dragged him into a fierce kiss.

The kiss was devoid of the previous desperation, of that need to cling to each other to make sure they were still there, that they were not going anywhere. It was a sensual kiss, passionate, it burned against Alec’s lips like fire. Magnus was devouring him, swallowing him whole, as he had been parched for so long and only Alec could sate his thirst. Magnus kissed him and kissed him, stopping just to breathe and then kissing him again. Stopping to nip at Alec’s bottom lip and then kissing him again. Stopping to press his forehead against Alec’s and kissing him again. And again.

Each of Alec’s nerve ending was buzzing to the tune of Magnus’ tongue brushing against his own, of Magnus’ hand around his waist, Magnus’ fingers through his hair. His own hands moved on their own accord and started to roam over the Magnus' back, sliding down to his ass, pulling Manus’ body against his own. Both of them moaned as their clothed cocks pressed against each other.

And suddenly, Alec _wanted_. He wanted Magnus on the bed, naked beneath him. He wanted to feel Magnus’ body writhing underneath his own, to feel Magnus’ heat surrounding his cock. He wanted to hear Magnus gasp, moan, scream his name as he climaxed.

But he wasn’t sure Magnus was ready to take that step yet, and Alec would wait for as long as it’d take. He had promised to himself that he would take care of his boyfriend and he was going to be damned if he left his own needs stand in the way of that promise.

He reluctantly broke the kiss and stepped back, lips still tingling. “Magnus.”

“Alexander,” Magnus murmured, lips slightly parted, unglamoured eyes smoldering. “ _God_ , Alexander.”

Alec was sure nobody had ever said his name like that. Uttered with such reverence, with such desire, with such love. “I- Sorry.”

Magnus’ chest was heaving with ragged breaths. “What for?”

“This.” Alec gestured between them. “I- I lost control. You need-“

“What I need, Alexander,” Magnus silenced him, grabbing him by the shoulders. “Is for you to shut up and take me to bed.”

Alec’s breath hitched. They stared at each other heatedly, Alec’s eyes holding a question, Magnus’ ones providing the answer. Alec didn’t ask Magnus if he was sure, he owed him that much. He owed him the respect to let him take his own choices without being questioned. All the air rushed back into his lungs and Alec unfroze, lunging forward, realizing the low growl he was hearing came from his own throat. He kissed Magnus wildly, relishing the taste and craving for more, hands slipping under Magnus’ shirt and sliding over smooth skin, body trembling as Magnus shivered at the touch and pressed closer, moaning into the kiss.

It took all Alec had to pull back for the second time. “Bedroom?” He asked, voice rough.

“I thought you would never ask.” Was the breathless answer.

They made their way to the bedroom just like their first time. Giggling, hands never leaving each other’s bodies, shedding clothing as they went, falling to the bed in a tangle of limbs. Magnus landed on top of him and they kissed, and kissed, and kept kissing for what seemed like hours, until every inch of Alec’s skin was burning with desire. Every sensation seemed enhanced, everything felt so good, so natural, so easy, like coming home. And yet, Alec could still feel the spark, the rush, the fire blazing just below the surface. It had always been there, that fire between them. It had never disappeared. It was just smoldering beneath the ashes, waiting to be ignited all over again.

Magnus pulled back and shifted, nestling between his legs and Alec’s eyes fluttered close, stinging with tears at the familiarity of it. His mouth opened in a silent gasp as Magnus’ hands and mouth trailed a path down his torso and he held his breath as Magnus' hands roamed over his skin, focusing on the feeling of Magnus’ touch as he explored every inch of Alec’s arms, chest, stomach. He could sense the urgency between every touch as if Magnus was trying to memorize every inch of his skin with his hands. Alec could relate because he was touching Magnus with the same urgency. It was like learning each other's bodies all over again.

Steady hands stopped over the curve of his hips and Alec couldn’t help a shiver at the thought of the power those hands held. It was not the kind of power his magic granted him, it went way beyond that. It was the power to destroy Alec, to shatter him in a thousand pieces, to unravel him and pull him back together again. All of it with a single touch.

When Magnus’ lips closed around his cock, suddenly Alec could feel Magnus everywhere. The heat of his mouth over his length, the warmth of his breath against his skin, the anchoring weight of his hands over his hips. It was intoxicating. His hands moved to Magnus’ head, hips arching up without conscious thought to chase more.

“ _Fuck_ , Magnus,” he said, throwing his head back with a breathless moan.

All too soon, he could feel the orgasm building and as much as he longed for release, he didn’t want to come like this, not right then. He wanted to worship Magnus’ body just like Magnus had worshipped his own. He wanted to hear Magnus moan, he wanted to feel him tremble, he wanted to feel Magnus’ nails raking over his back as he screamed his name.

“Not yet,” he gasped. “ _Please_ , Magnus. _Not yet_.”

Magnus released him with a wet pop and Alec didn’t give him the time to say anything. He willed his trembling body to move, reversing their positions until he was the one nestled between Magnus’ legs, enjoying the feeling of Magnus’ skin under his fingertips, under his mouth, relishing the moans slipping past Magnus’ lips. He took his time giving back touch for touch, kiss for kiss, gasp for gasp, shiver for shiver. At last, his mouth closed around Magnus’ cock, sucking, tongue swirling around hard flesh, lips pulling slightly at the tip with every drag. He closed his eyes and focused on the noises his boyfriend was making, on the trembling of Magnus’ thighs, on the fingers tightening around his hair.

“ _God_ , Alexander,” Magnus panted. “ _Please_.”

Alec hummed in encouragement around Magnus’ cock, renewing his efforts, a thrill running along his spine as Magnus let out a strangled moan and his back arched off the bed one last time as he climaxed. His semen seemed to burn down Alec’s throat and Alec felt like he could never get enough of it. _Enough of Magnus_.

Magnus sagged back against the bed, panting hard, still trembling from the aftershocks of the orgasm. “ _Fuck,_ ” he breathed.

And suddenly Alec wanted nothing more than to kiss him again so he climbed up and leaned down to do just that. The kiss was wet, messy, uncoordinated. It was perfect.

Alec couldn’t say how much they stayed like that, kissing messily, touching softly, breathing each other in. Magnus’ skin burned against his erection but Alec fought the urge to grind down, wanting to draw out the moment as much as possible, wanting to make it perfect for Magnus.

After a while, Magnus broke the kiss and pressed his forehead against Alec’s. “As much as I loved that, darling,” he whispered. “I was hoping you would fuck me.”

The words sent a spark through Alec’s spine, fire starting to blaze again. “That’s exactly what I intend to do,” he said roughly.

Magnus arched up at that, a low moan slipping through his lips. “ _Fuck_ , Alec,” he panted, cock starting to stir again against Alec’s skin. “You say the nicest things.”

Time went in a blur after that. Alec couldn’t recall the moment Magnus had summoned the lube and handed it over, he couldn’t recall if he had been the one to slick himself or if Magnus had done it. He focused on the task of working Magnus open with his fingers, enjoying the way Magnus pushed against the touch, the inflexion of Magnus’ voice as he moaned his name and begged for _more_.

He made sure Magnus was stretched enough to accommodate him before withdrawing his fingers, his cock twitching in anticipation, his skin feverish with a burning desire. Magnus let out a small sob at the loss and it tugged at something deep within Alec. He had wanted to draw this out but now the craving returned full-force, that overwhelming need to be buried deep inside Magnus, to feel Magnus’ heat envelope him and burn him to ashes.

He paused to place a wet kiss against Magnus’ abdomen, then grabbed his hips, lifting them up at the right angle and lining his cock against Magnus’ entrance. He pushed inside slowly, throwing his head back with a moan at the feeling, muscles straining with the effort to hold back.

Both of them moaned as their bodies came in contact, his cock buried deeply inside Magnus and Alec had spent a fair amount of time envisioning this moment but nothing could compare to the real thing. He set a steady, slow pace, moaning at every drag of Magnus’ flesh against his cock, relishing the way Magnus clenched against him, the way Magnus’ hips arched up to chase him every time he slipped out of his body.

“Faster,” Magnus gasped. “ _God_ , Alexander. Fuck me harder.”

He could understand Magnus’ urgency because it was the same buzzing under his skin, the urgency to be connected once more in the most intimate way. There was no time for slow explorations anymore, no time for teasing. Magnus’ words were all the encouragement Alec needed. He started to thrust harder, rougher, deeper, burning with the need to feel Magnus’ body convulsing under his own, to feel his own body convulse with his release. The sex was frantic, urgent. Bodies slamming against each other, fingers digging into flesh hard enough to leave bruises, broken breaths and loud gasps.

When Alec felt the orgasm coiled low in his stomach and building, he reached out blindly and grabbed Magnus’ cock, stroking him fast, in synch with his erratic thrusts. Each one of Alec’s nerve endings was on fire. Magnus burned so hot, he burned so bright that all Alec could do was let his fire consume him. As the orgasm hit him, he could hear his own name coming out of Magnus’ lips like a prayer.

**

They were snuggling against each other, spent, sated, happy. Magnus’ head over his shoulder was a welcome weight, anchoring him to the moment. Cuddling like this after mind-blowing sex felt like a miracle to Alec.

Magnus raised his head and scrunched his nose in distaste, then he snapped his fingers and his magic washed over them, cleaning them both. “Much better.”

Alec let out a startled laugh, turning toward Magnus and sobering immediately at the intensity of his eyes. He smoothed out the hair from the warlock’s forehead and kissed it. “I love you. So much.”

“Oh, darling.” Magnus beamed at him, hand reaching out to cup his face gently. “I love you too.” Then he settled back with a contented sigh over Alec’s shoulder.

Alec’s arms tightened around Magnus. “You know, I couldn’t bring myself to sleep here. The reminder, it was- “ He took a deep breath. “It was just too much.”

Magnus placed a kiss on his shoulder, understanding what Alec was trying to say. “I can imagine.”

“You were gone and I couldn’t even step inside the loft.” He swallowed past the lump in his throat. “I kept longing for our home but I couldn’t consider this empty place home anymore. It made me realize that four walls and a roof above your head don’t make a home. Not when you have nobody to share them with.” He kissed the top of Magnus’ head. “What I’m trying to say it’s that _you_ are always going to be my home.”

“I’m here now,” Magnus murmured softly, voice shaking. “We’re both home now.”

He shifted Magnus closer, wishing they could stay like that forever. “I know.”

There was no need for other words so they held each other in silence for a long time, enjoying the quiet and the closeness. The intimacy. Soon Alec could feel Magnus’ breath evening out and a sudden surge of protectiveness ran through his veins. He had to remind to himself that Magnus wasn’t going anywhere, that he would wake up the day after with a smile on his face, that he would be there in the evening to kiss Alec good night. That they were going to have their happily ever after.

Alec was physically and emotionally drained but he felt at peace in a way that he hadn’t been feeling in what seemed like ages. Magnus’ hand was still resting over his chest, leg draped over his own, breath tickling his throat. He held Magnus close, smiling as hek murmured something in his sleep and shifted closer to Alec.

 _Love is a strange thing_ , Alec thought as he buried his face in Magnus’ hair, breathing in the familiar scent. Lately he had learned that love could hurt worse than any wound, that it could tear you apart, shatter you into thousands of pieces. He had also learned that love could make you happy, that it could heal you, that it could put you back together again.

They still needed to find out more about the nature of their new bond. They were not sure how it was going to affect their life but none of them cared as long as they got to spend the rest of it together. There were still many issues to work through, some matters to settle. But as held Magnus firmly in his arms, he couldn’t help thinking that as long as they had each other, everything was going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't linger on the nature of the bond on purpose. I didn't want to fall into overworked clichés so I decided that I would let the readers choose the kind of bond they'd like our boys to have and how it would affect them. Alec's lifespan could increase, Magnus' one could adapt to Alec's. Nothing could change. You are free to imagine the version you like most. 
> 
> We are finally at the end and I want to take the time to thank everyone who read the fic and, especially, the people who supported me every step of the way. I loved and cherished each of your Kudos and your lovely comments. Thank you! :)
> 
>  
> 
> I'm on Tumblr, if you want to say hi :)   
> https://ladyoxymoron.tumblr.com/


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